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1 

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i 


^ 


HISTORICAL    SCENES 


FROM 


THE   OLD  JESUIT   MISSIONS. 


m 


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mmmm 


Historical  Scenes 


FROM  THE 


Old  Jesuit  Missions. 


BY   THE 


Right  Rev.  WM.  INGRAHAM   KIP,  D.D.,  LL.D., 

MEMBER  OF  THE   NEW  YORK  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY. 


NEW    YORK: 
ANSON   D.   F.   RANDOLPH   AND   COMPANY, 

770  Broadway. 


}i)^ 


|^\P,vP  1 


Copyright^ 
Anson  D.  F.  Randolph  and  Company, 


9nM  0f 

JOHN  WILSON  AND  SON, 

Cambridgf. 


Sinbns  of 

ROBERT  RUTTBR, 

82  and  84  Beekman  St, 
New  York. 


TO 


LEONARD    KIP, 


OF   ALBANY,    N.\., 


HIS   BROTHER   INSCRIBES  THIS   VOLUME. 


PREFACE. 


Many  years  ago,  while  the  writer  was  in  England, 
the  library  of  the  Bishop  of  Durham  was  sold. 
Among  the  works  offered  was  a  set  of  the  Lettres 
Edifiantes  et  Curieuses  ^crites  des  Missions  Etran- 
gh'eSy  in  47  volumes,  containing  the  letters  of  the 
Jesuit  Missionaries  <rom  about  1650  to  1750.  These 
the  writer  purchased  and  brought  to  this  country. 
On  his  return,  he  selected  those  letters  which  relate 
to  the  labors  of  the  Jesuits  within  the  bounds  of  our 
own  land  ;  and  published  a  translation,  with  notes, 
under  the  title  of  The  Early  yesuit  Missions  in 
North  America.  As  these  letters  contain  the  first 
notices  of  any  intercourse  between  the  white  man 
and  the  Indians,  they  have  always  been  regarded  as 
having  an  historical  value. 

The  missionary  labors  of  the  Society  of  Jesus  v  ere, 
however,  spread  over  the  whole  world.  There  was 
no  land  where  they  thought  souls  could  be  won  for 
their  hire  into  which  they  did  not  penetrate.  Their 
influence  was  traced  in  the  courts  of  Oriental  des- 
pots, and  in  the  depths  of  Western  forests,  among 


VUl 


PREFACE. 


iU 


the  most  savage  tribes,  and  where  no  white  man  had 
been  seen  before  them.  From  the  snows  of  the 
North,  and  the  burning  heats  of  the  Tropics,  — 

"  From  many  an  ancient  river, 
From  many  a  palmy  plain,"  — 

their  etters  were  sent  back  to  the  old  homes  they 
were  never  themselves  again  to  see,  giving  strange 
pictures  of  tribei  of  whom  the  civilized  European 
had  never  before  heard.  From  Thibet  and  China 
and  Siam,  and  the  islands  of  the  Indian  Archipelago, 
where  Xavier  had  already  laid  down  his  life  on  the 
shores  of  Sancian,  —  from  "  India's  coral  strand,"  and 
from  the  centre  of  Africa,  where  "  Ethiopia  was 
stretching  out  her  hands "  for  the  Bread  of  Life,  — 
from  the  desolate  wilderness  in  South  America  and 
the  ice-bound  shores  of  Hudson's  Bay,  —  came  these 
reports  to  the  Head  of  their  Order  at  Rome,  telling 
how  his  followers  "  counted  not  their  lives  dear  unto 
themselves,"  while  they  pressed  on  in  the  path  he 
had  marked  out  for  them. 

In  looking,  therefore,  over  these  volumes,  —  so 
wide  in  their  range,  —  the  writer  has  been  induced 
to  select  for  translation  some  of  the  letters  from 
opposite  sides  of  the  world,  giving  the  contrast  of 
the  worn-out  civilization  of  the  Eastern  empires  and 
the  savage  life  of  the  wilderness.  They  are  not  — 
if  we  except  those  on  the  mission  in  Paraguay  and 


!M 


PREFACE, 


ix 


in  Lower  California  —  narratives  which  relate  so 
much  to  the  direct  labors  of  the  Jesuits,  or  illustrate 
their  heroic  self-denial,  as  those  which  furnish  scenes 
—  like  the  account  of  the  Jewish  colony  in  China, 
the  cruise  of  the  Rhode  Island  privateer,  and  the 
picture  of  the  earthquake  at  Lima  —  with  which  the 
Fathers  were  incidentally  brought  into  contact. 

Still,  we  see  the  same  spirit  pervading  all,  and  — 
much  as  we  may  differ  from  them  in  many  of  the 
doctrines  they  taught  —  there  is  a  lofty  lesson  to  be 
learned  from  their  voluntary  endurance  of  those  mis- 
eries which  wasted  the  heart  and  wore  out  the  life. 
In  the  principles  to  which  they  had  pledged  them- 
selves, they  never  faltered  ;  and,  whether  on  the  lonely 
seaside  or  in  the  crowded  cities  of  the  East,  the  fol- 
lowers of  Loyola  seem  gladly  to  have  welcomed 
martyrdom  as  their  highest  blessing,  and  to  have 
been  ready  to  exclaim  with  St.  Francis  Xavier: 
"  If  ever  I  forget  thee,  O  Society  of  Jesus,  may  my 
right  hand  forget  its  cunning  ! " 

More  than  a  century  has  passed  since  these  letters 
were  written ;  the  hands  which  penned  them  have 
long  since  mouldered  into  dust,  in  their  forgotten 
graves  on  many  a  distant  heathen  shore  ;  yet  it 
seemed  to  the  writer  that  these  articles  might  fur- 
nish a  chapter  in  the  history  of  our  race  which  would 
interest  our  readers. 


r 


CONTENTS. 


CHAP.  ^AGB 

I.    The  Synagogue  in  China:  1720      ...  13 

II.     Missions  in  Lower  California  :  1702      .  50 

III.  Cape  Horn  in  1704 69 

IV.  The   Monasteries   of   Mount   Lebanon: 

1721 83 

v.    The  Knights  of  Malta:  1711    .    .    .     .  96 

VI.    The  Grecian  Islands:   1711 106 

VII.    Glimpses  of  the  Court  of  China:   1773  115 

VIII.     Rhode  Island  Privateer:  1745  ....  153 

IX.     Fugitive  Slaves  of  Cayenne:  1751     .     .  206 
X.    Trials  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Missionary  : 

1694 225 

XI.     Explorations  in  the  Delta:  17 12      .     .  251 
XII.     Monasteries    in    the   Thebaid    Desert: 

1716 282 

XIII.  The  Paraguay  Mifsion  :  1726      ....  316 

XIV.  The  Earthquake  at  Lima:  1746     .     .    .  360 


HISTORICAL   SCENES 


FROM 


THE    OLD   JESUIT    MISSIONS. 


I. 


THE  SYNAGOGUE  IN  CHxNA. 


1720. 

[At  the  close  of  the  seventeenth  century  the  Jesuits  in  China 
sent  home  to  Europe  the  news  that,  in  the  centre  of  China  was 
a  colony  of  Jews,  who  had  resided  there  for  many  centuries, 
preserving  the  forms  of  their  ancient  faith  amid  the  surrounding 
idolatry.  As  a  mere  historical  fact,  —  that  Judaism  had  thus 
penetrated  to  the  eastern  side  of  Asia,  —  this  was  a  curious 
discovery.  There  was,  however,  a  higher  interest  connected 
with  it.  It  was  stated  that  they  had  a  copy  of  the  Pentateuch 
three  thousand  years  old.  If  so,  it  was  the  oldest  copy  known, 
and  it  would  be  of  inestimable  value  for  collation  with  our 
Hebrew  Bibles,  in  determining  disputed  readings,  and  might, 
perhaps,  decide  some  controversies. 

It  seems  to  have  been  forty  years  before  the  Jesuits,  notwith- 
standing their  repeated  efforts,  succeeded  in  obtaining  any  definite 
information  on  this  subject.  At  length,  by  establishing  a  mis- 
sion at  Cai-fong-Fou,  they  were  brought  into  immediate  contact 
with  these  Jews,  learned  their  history,  and  were  permitted  to 
examine  their  copy  of  the  Pentateuch.  Although  not  believed 
by  the  Fathers  to  have  the  antiquity  claimed  for  it  by  those  in 
whose  charge  it  was,  still  it  is  one  of  the  oldest  extant ;  and  it 
is  a  source  of  satisfaction  to  learn  that  a  comparison  with  our 


H 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


own  Hebrew  Bible  showed  no  important  variations  in  any  of 
the  readings.  The  article  which  follows  is  the  account  given  by 
one  of  the  Jesuits,  gathered  ^rom  all  the  different  letters  of  his 
brethren,  and  presenting  every  fact  of  importance  connected 
with  this  matter. 

There  was  a  similar  excitement  at  the  beginning  of  this  cen- 
tury with  regard  to  the  Black  Jews  of  India.  It  was  stated  that 
they,  too,  had  copies  of  the  Pentateuch  of  great  antiquity.  But 
in  1807,  the  Rev.  Claudius  Buchanan  gained  access  to  them, 
and,  in  his  "  Researches  in  India,"  he  has  given  a  narrative  of 
his  visit.  He  procured  some  of  these  manuscripts,  —  "one 
of  them  an  old  copy  of  the  Books  of  Moses,  written  on  a  roll 
of  leather.  The  skins  are  sewed  together,  and  the  roll  is  about 
forty-eight  feet  in  length."  But  a  comparison  with  our  received 
Hebrew  Bible  showed  no  important  differences. 

The  story  of  the  Synagogue  in  China  is  certainly  a  strange 
one  in  a  mere  literary  and  historical  point  of  view.  It  shows 
the  wonderful  tenacity  of  the  "  peculiar  people  "  in  clinging  to 
their  faith  through  so  many  centuries,  in  the  midst  of  the  out- 
ward pressure  of  idolatry,  even  when  the  spirit  which  once 
animated  their  worship  had  departed,  and  only  the  dead  forms 
remained.  And  now,  even  this  has  passed  away  for  ever. 
When  the  Jesuit  wrote  —  more  than  a  century  ago  —  it  is  evi- 
dent that  the  colony,  confined  in  the  marriages  of  its  members  to 
their  own  people,  was  gradually  diminishing.  Since  then,  this 
decrease  has  been  going  on,  till  it  has  entirely  faded  away  from 
the  earth.  In  "China  and  the  Chinese,"  by  Rev.  John  L. 
Nevins,  in  i860,  we  find  this  notice  of  the  closing  scene : 
"  Connected  with  this  Synagogue  were  some  Hebrew  manu- 
scripts, and  a  few  worshippers  who  retained  some  of  the  forms 
of  their  religion,  but  very  little  of  its  real  character  and  spirit. 
The  remaining  buildings  and  timbers  of  the  Synagogue  have 
recently  been  sold  ;  and  this  little  remnant,  which  has  been  pre- 
served long  enough  to  afford  evidence  that  Jews  and  Judaism 
have  reached  the  extreme  limits  of  the  East,  will  probably  soon 
be  extinct."] 


THE  SYNAGOGUE  IN  CHINA. 


IS 


Narrative  of  Father 


•  •  •  • 


of  the  Society  of  yesus. 


The  news  of  the  existence  of  a  synagogue  of  Jews, 
established  in  China  for  many  centuries,  was  an  an- 
nouncement of  the  most  interesting  character  to  all 
the  scholars  of  Europe.  They  indulged  the  hope  that 
they  would  be  able  to  find  there  a  copy  of  the  Sacred 
Scriptures,  which  would  serve  to  clear  up  their  diffi- 
culties and  to  end  their  disputes.  But  Father  Ricci, 
who  made  this  happy  discovery,  was  not  able  to  derive 
from  it  the  advantages  he  had  hoped.  Confined  to 
the  City  of  Pekin  by  the  claims  of  that  Mission,  he 
was  not  able  to  go  to  Cai-fong-Fou^  the  capital  of 
Honan,  which  is  distant  nearly  two  hundred  leagues. 
He  was  obliged  to  content  himself  with  questioning 
a  young  Jew  of  that  synagogue  whom  he  met  at  Pekin. 
He  learned  from  him,  that  at  Cai-fong-Fou  were  to  be 
found  ten  or  twelve  families  of  Israelites,  who  had 
come  there  to  establish  their  synagogue,  and  that  for 
five  or  six  hundred  years  they  had  preserved,  with  the 
greatest  respect,  a  very  ancient  copy  of  the  Pentateuch. 
Father  Ricci  immediately  showed  him  a  Hebrew  Bible. 
The  young  Jew  recognized  the  characters;  but  he 
could  not  •  read  it,  because  he  had  devoted  himself 
solely  to  the  study  of  Chinese  books,  as  he  aspired  to 
take  the  degree  of  Scholar. 

The  pressing  occupations  of  Father  Ricci  did  not 
permit  him  to  push  this  discovery  any  farther.  It 
was  not  till  three  or  four  years  afterwards  that  he 
found  it  convenient  to  send  thither  a  Chinese  Jesuit, 


i6 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


with  ample  instructions,  to  verify  what  he  had  learned 
of  the  young  Jew.  He  gave  him  a  letter  in  Chinese 
for  the  Ruler  of  the  Synagogue,  in  which  he  informed 
him  that  besides  the  books  of  the  Old  Testament  he 
had  also  those  of  the  New,  which  showed  that  the 
Messiah,  whom  they  were  expecting,  had  already 
come.  As  soon  as  the  Ruler  of  the  Synagogue  read 
what  related  to  the  coming  of  the  Messiah,  he  stopped, 
and  said,  "  that  this  could  not  be,  as  they  did  not  ex- 
pect him  in  ten  thousand  years."  But  he  begged 
Father  Ricci,  of  the  reputation  of  whose  great  talents 
he  had  been  apprised,  to  come  to  Cai-fong-Fou,  where 
he  would  be  delighted  to  commit  to  him  the  care  of 
the  synagogue,  provided  he  would  be  willing  to  ab- 
stain from  those  articles  of  food  which  are  forbidden 
to  the  Jews.  The  great  age  of  the  Ruler,  and  his 
ignorance  of  who  would  succeed  him,  induced  him  to 
make  these  offers  to  Father  Ricci.  This  circumstance 
was  propitious  for  enabling  them  to  gain  information 
with  regard  to  their  Pentateuch.  The  Ruler  volun- 
tarily consented  to  give  them  the  beginning  and  the 
end  of  all  the  sections.  These  were  found  to  be 
perfectly  in  agreement  with  the  Hebrew  Bible  of 
Plantin,  except  that  the  Chinese  copy  had  no  vowel 
points. 

In  1613,  Father  Aleni,  whose  profound  erudition 
and  great  wisdom  have  gained  for  him,  among  the 
Chinese  themselves,  the  title  of  the  European  Con- 
fucius, received  orders  from  his  superiors  to  repair 
to  Cai-fong-Fou,  and  to  push  forward  this  discovery. 
He  was  the  man  of  all  the  world  best  adapted  to  sue- 


THE  SYNAGOGUE  IN  CHINA. 


17 


ceed  there,  being  an  accomplished  Hebrew  scholar. 
But  times  had "  changed.  The  old  Ruler  was  dead  ; 
and  while  they  readily  showed  Father  Aleni  the  syna- 
gogue, he  yet  could  not  obtain  a  sight  of  the  books, 
and  they  were  not  even  willing  to  draw  aside  the 
curtain  which  covered  them. 

Such  were  the  feeble  beginnings  of  this  discovery, 
which  had  been  handed  down  to  us  by  Fathers  Tri- 
gaut  and  S^m6do  ^  and  by  other  missionaries.  The 
scholars  have  often  spoken  of  it,  often  with  but  little 
accuracy,  ^  and  they  have  always  desired  more  exten- 
sive information. 

The  residence  which,  in  process  of  time,  the  Jesuits 
established  at  Cai-fong-Fou  gave  new  hopes.  Never- 
theless, Fathers  Rodriguez  and  Figueredo  endeavored 
in  vain  to  profit  by  the  advantages  they  had.  Father 
Gozani  is  the  first  who  succeeded.  Having  obtained 
admission,  he  made  a  copy  of  the  inscriptions  in  the 
synagogue,  which  are  written  on  large  tables  of  mar- 
ble, and  sent  them  to  Rome.  The  Jews  informed  him 
that  they  had  a  Bible  at  Pekin,  in  the  temple  where 
are  preserved  the  Kings,  that  is,  the  Sacred  Books  of 
foreigners.  The  French  and  Portuguese  Jesuits  ob- 
tained from  the  Emperor  a  permission  to  enter  the 
temple  and  inspect  these  books.  The  Father  Pa- 
reniun  was  also  present.  But  they  found  nothing. 
Father  Bouvet  said  that  they  discovered  there  some 
Syriac  letters,  and  they  had  good  reason  to  believe 

1  Trigaut,  de  Expedit.  Sinica,  lib.  i.,  cap.  ii.,  p.  1 18.  S^m^do,  Rela- 
tione della  China,  part  i.,  cap.  xxx.,  p.  193. 

2  Walton,  Polyglott,  Prolegomen,^  iii.,  sect.  4.  Jablonski,  Bibl, 
llebr.  Pras.,  sect.  38. 


i8 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


!l 


that  the  Master  of  the  Pagoda  misled  the  Jesuits. 
At  the  present  time  it  would  be  very  difficult  to  ob- 
tain admission  into  this  library,  and  the  attempts 
made  by  Father  Gaubil  have  always  been  ineffectual. 
He  was  never  able  to  learn  what  were  these  Hebrew 
and  Syriac  books.  Nevertheless,  a  Tartar  Christian, 
to  whom  he  had  given  a  Hebrew  Bible,  again  assured 
him  that  he  had  seen  books  written  in  the  same  char- 
acters ;  but  he  could  not  tell  what  these  books  were,  or 
how  great  their  antiquity.  Only  he  confirmed  to  him 
the  fact  that  they  had  there  a  thora,  that  is,  a  book  of 
the  Law. 

While  the  Jesuits  at  Pekin  were  making  these 
fruitless  searches,  the  Jews,  less  mysterious  than  the 
Chinese,  voluntarily  informed  Father  Gozani  of  their 
different  customs  ;  and,  at  the  commencement  of  this 
century,  he  found  himself  prepared  to  publish  an  ac- 
count as  circumstantial  as  could  be  by  a  person  who 
was  unacquainted  with  the  Hebrew  language. 

These  new  revelations  again  awakened  the  attention 
of  the  scholars.  Father  Etienne  Souciet,  who  was 
then  engaged  in  a  great  work  on  the  Scriptures,  in 
reply  to  the  Critici  Sacri,  was  the  most  earnest  in 
pressing  this  discovery.  It  is  from  the  letters  which 
Fathers  Gozani,  Domenge,  and  Gaubil  wrote  to  him 
on  this  subject  that  I  have  derived  all  I  have  reported 
in  this  Memoir.  The  detailed  account  will  be  so  much 
the  more  curious,  as  it  has  often  been  asked  for,  and 
as  Father  Halde  has  been  pleased  to  promise  it  in  his 
great  description  of  China.^ 

1  Du  Halde,  Description  de  la  Chine,  torn,  iii.,  p.  64. 


THE  SYNAGOGUE  IN  CHINA. 


19 


The  Chinese  call  the  Jews  who  live  among  them 
Hoai-Hoai.  This  name  is  common  to  them  and  the 
Mahometans.  But  the  Jews,  among  themselves,  use 
the  name  Tiao-Kin-Keao,  that  is  to  say,  the  law  of 
those  who  discard  the  sinews ;  because  they  have  a 
law  forbidding  their  eating  them,  in  memory  of  the 
wrestle  of  Jacob  with  the  angel.  A  kind  of  blue  cap, 
which  they  wear  in  their  synagogue  during  prayer, 
has  caused  them  again  to  receive  the  name  of  Lan- 
maho-hoai-hoaiy  to  distinguish  them  from  the  Ma- 
hometans, who  wear  a  red  cap,  and  whom,  for  this 
reason,  the^^  call  Pe-maho-hoai-hoai. 

The  Jews  say  they  emigrated  to  China  under  the 
dynasty  of  Hatif  during  the  reign  of  Han-ming-ti ;  and 
that  they  came  from  Si-yu,  that  is  to  say,  the  country 
of  the  West.  It  appears  by  all  that  can  be  learned 
from  them,  that  this  Western  country  is  Persia,  and 
that  they  came  by  the  way  of  Corassan  and  Samar- 
kand. They  have,  besides,  in  their  language,  many 
Persian  words  ;  and  they  have  preserved,  during  this 
long  lapse  of  time,  intimate  relations  with  that  coun- 
try. They  believe  that  they  are  the  only  ones  settled 
on  this  vast  continent,  and  know  nothing  of  the  other 
Jews  in  India,  Thibet,  and  Western  Tartary. 

For  a  long  time  they  were  in  great  honor  in  China. 
Many  have  been  governors  of  provinces,  ministers  of 
state,  bachelors,  and  doctors.  There  have  been  some 
among  them  who  possessed  large  landed  property. 
But  at  the  present  day  nothing  remains  of  this  ancient 
glory.  Their  settlements  at  Ham-Tcheou^  Nimpo,  Pe^ 
kin,  and  Ning-Hia  have  even  disappeared,  most  of  them 


20 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


i  li  • 


I 


having  embraced  the  Mahometan  faith.  We  do  not 
now  know  of  any  but  those  at  Cai-fong-Fou. 

At  their  first  settlement  they  numbered  seventy 
families,  of  the  different  tribes  of  Benjamin,  Levi, 
Judah,  etc.  Now  they  are  reducfed  to  seven  families, 
who  number  altogether  over  one  thousand  persons. 
The  various  misfortunes  by  which  this  city  has  been 
afflicted  in  past  times  have  much  contributed  to  their 
wasting  away. 

During  the  reign  of  Van-Lie  a  great  fire  reduced 
their  synagogue  to  ashes.  All  their  books  were  de- 
stroyed, except  one  Pentateuch,  which  formerly  they 
had  received  of  a  Mahometan  whom  they  found  at 
Ning-Hia,  in  the  province  of  Chen- Si.  A  Jew  of 
Canton,  being  near  death,  had  committed  it  to  him  as 
a  precious  deposit.  They  rebuilt  their  synagogue  ;  but 
it  was  again  ruined,  in  1642,  by  an  inundation  of  the 
Hoang-hOy  or  Yellow  River,  in  which  more  than  three 
hundred  thousand  persons  perished. 

TchaOy  a  Jewish  mandarin,  took  upon  himself  the 
restoration  of  the  synagogue.  It  is  the  one  which  we 
see  at  this  day.  They  call  it  Li-pai-Si,  that  is  to  say, 
the  place  of  the  Ceremonies.  This  Li-pai-Si  is  but 
sixty  feet  long  by  forty  wide.  But  all  the  different 
buildings  which  are  attached  to  it  occupy  a  space  on 
the  ground  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  in  breadth 
by  three  or  four  hundred  in  length.  We  recognize 
there  the  same  plan  which  Father  Domenge  drew 
upon  the  spot. 

The  entrance  of  the  synagogue  is  at  the  East.  It 
opens  with  a  pai-leou,  that  is  to  say,  a  triumphal  arch, 


THE  SYNAGOGUE  IN  CHINA. 


31 


which  leads  into  a  grand  court.  At  the  exit  of  this 
court  we  find  a  new  triumphal  arch  ;  and  at  the  sides 
we  see  two  stone  monuments  covered  with  inscrip- 
tions, of  which  I  will  speak  at  the  end  of  this  narra- 
tive. On  advancing  farther,  we  find  two  marble  lions, 
a  large  brazen  vase  in  which  to  burn  perfumes,  two 
basins  of  copper  with  their  pedestals,  and  two  large 
vases  of  flowers.  At  last,  we  arrive  at  the  square  in 
front  of  the  Li-pai-SS,  which  is  entirely  surrounded 
by  a  railing.  It  is  here  that  they  set  up  their  great 
tent  for  the  Feast  of  Tabernacles. 

The  Li-pai-S^  has  two  side  aisles.  The  nave  is  di- 
vided into  three  parts.  The  first  contains  the  chair 
of  Moses  ;  the  Van-soui-Pai,  that  is  to  say,  the  tablet 
of  the  Emperor  ;  and  a  great  table  for  incense.  Above 
the  tablet  of  the  Emperor  we  see  this  Hebrew  inscrip- 
tion, in  letters  of  gold:  *' Hear,  O  Israeli  yehovah, 
one  God^  is  the  God  alone.  Blessed  be  His  name,  and 
His  reign  be  glorious  through  all  eternity  y  The  second 
part  forms  a  kind  of  tent,  square  outwardly  and  round 
within.  This  is  the  Holy  of  Holies  of  the  Jews  in 
China.  They  call  it  the  Bethel,  and  in  the  Chinese 
language  Tien-Tang,  that  is  to  say,  the  Temple  of 
Heaven.  On  the  front  we  read  this  Hebrew  inscrip- 
tion, written  in  golden  characters  :  "  Know  that  Je- 
hovah is  the  God  of  GodSy  the  Lord,  the  great  God, 
strong  and  terrible!'  ^  This  place,  so  reverenced  by  the 
Jews  in  China,  contains  their  Takings,  that  is,  their 
Sacred  Books  of  the  Holy  Scriptures.     On  the  side 

1  The  Jesuit  writer  gives  the  Hebrew  of  these  two  inscriptions. 
It  is  without  vowel  points. — Trans. 


22 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


'laii' 


l\ 


of  the  Bethel  are  presses,  which  contain  the  Takings 
and  other  customary  books.  Behind  the  Bethel  we 
see  the  two  tables  of  the  Law,  written  in  golden  let- 
ters. 

Of  all  these  monuments,  the  Takings  were  the  most 
interesting  to  the  scholars  of  Europe.  But  to  form  a 
just  idea  of  them,  we  must  know  that  the  Chinese 
Jews  give  the  name  of  Takings,  or  the  Great  Script- 
ures, to  the  Pentateuch  alone.  They  have  thirteen 
copies  of  it  in  their  Bethel,  placed  on  thirteen  tables, 
in  memory  of  the  twelve  tribes,  and  of  Moses,  the 
founder  of  their  Law.  They  are  not  written  on 
parchment,  as  Father  Gozani  stated  ;  but  on  paper,  of 
which  they  have  pasted  many  leaves  together,  so  that 
they  can  be  rolled  without  any  danger  of  their  tearing. 

Each  Taking  in  the  Bethel  is  rolled  on  a  pivot,  and 
forms  a  kind  of  tent,  covered  by  a  curtain  of  silk. 
The  Jews  have  the  greatest  veneration  for  these 
books  ;  but  there  is  nevertheless  one  which  they  rev- 
erence more  than  all  the  others.  They  pretend  that 
it  has  an  antiquity  of  three  thousand  years,  and  is  the 
only  monument  which  remains  to  them.  The  other 
books  having  been  destroyed  by  the  fires  or  inunda- 
tions, they  have  restored  them  from  the  books  of  the 
Persians. 

All  the  Takings  of  the  Bethel  are  without  points. 
They  are  divided  into  fifty-three  paragraphs  or  sec- 
tions. They  read  one  section  every  Sabbath  day. 
In  this  way,  the  Jews  in  China,  like  the  Jews  in  Eu- 
rope, read  the  whole  of  the  Law  in  the  course  of  the 
year.     He  who  reads  the  lesson  places  the  Taking  in 


THE  SYNAGOGUE  IN  CHINA. 


n 


the  chair  of  Moses.  He  has  his  face  covered  with  a 
very  delicate  cotton  veil.  At  his  side  is  a  prompter, 
and  some  steps  further  down  is  an  official  (moula) 
whose  business  it  is  to  correct  the  prompter,  in  case 
he  should  make  a  mistake. 

Father  Domenge  did  not  see  in  the  Li-pai-Si  either 
a  censer,  or  instrument  of  music,  or  particular  dresses 
for  ceremonies.  All  are  obliged,  while  there,  to  put 
off  their  shoes,  and  each  one  had  his  head  covered 
with  a  blue  cap ;  only  at  the  Feast  of  Tabernacles, 
when  they  made  a  procession  with  the  Taking,  each 
one  who  carried  it  had  a  scarf  of  red  silk,  which  he 
wore  above  the  right  shoulder  and  below  the  left  arm. 

During  the  eight  months  that  Father  Domenge 
passed  at  Cai-fong-Fou,  he  in  vain  resorted  to  every 
imaginable  means  to  obtain  one  of  these  books,  or  at 
least  to  have  permission  to  collate  his  own  Bible  with 
one  of  these  copies.  But  he  could  gain  nothing  from 
men  too  ignorant  not  to  be  suspicious.  The  only 
favor  they  granted  him  was  to  show  him  their  books, 
and  to  permit  him  to  examine  certain  passages.  The 
following,  then,  is  the  information  he  gave  us  about 
them.  The  Takings  of  the  Bethel  are  written  in 
round  characters  and  without  points.  The  form  of 
the  letters  is  very  similar  to  the  ancient  German  edi- 
tions of  the  Hebrew.  He  did  not  find  there  either 
PhHhura  or  Sithuma}    There  are  no  intervals  in  the 

1  The  Phithura  and  Sithuma  are  the  marks  which  are  used  in  the 
Hebrew  Bibles  to  designate  the  divisions  of  the  different  sections. 
The  Phethura  has  for  its  mark  the  letter  phi^  repeated  three  times  ; 
the  Sithuma  has  the  letter  samech,  repeated  also  three  times.  There 
are  twelve  of  these  sections  in  Genesis,  eleven  in  Exodus,  ten  in 


24 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


II! 


w  I 


text,  except  the  space  of  a  single  line,  which  is  inter- 
posed between  each  of  the  fifty-three  sections.  When 
we  asked  them  why  these  copies  had  no  punctuation 
points,  they  replied,  that  God  dictated  the  Law  to 
Moses  with  such  rapidity  that  he  had  no  time  to 
place  the  points  ;  but  that  their  doctors  at  the  West 
had  thought  proper  to  insert  them,  to  aid  the  reader. 

On  the  Saturday,  in  the  Octave  of  the  Feast  of 
Tabernacles,  Father  Domenge  having  gone  to  the 
synagogue,  they  showed  him  their  ancient  Taking. 
It  was  about  two  feet  in  height  and  a  little  more  in 
diameter  when  it  was  rolled.  It  had  the  appearance 
of  great  antiquity,  but  had  been  very  much  injured 
by  water.  He  asked  what  was  the  lesson  for  the 
day,  when  they  showed  him  the  Song  of  Moses, 
which,  among  the  Jews,  made  part  of  the  vajelec,  that 
is,  of  the  fifty-second  section. 

Their  fifty-third  section  is  the  same  as  the  fifty- 
fourth  in  our  ordinary  Bibles.  He  read  in  a  loud 
voice  the  Song  of  Moses,  which  was  written  in  two 
columns,  as  in  our  Bibles  when  they  are  accurate. 
But  the  lines  often  ran  the  one  into  the  other,  which 
seemed  to  confuse  them.  The  only  difference  which 
he  found  in  all  this  Song,  is  that,  in  v.  25,  in  place  of 
thescacel,  as  in  our  ordinary  Bibles,  the  Taking  has 
thocel}  This  difference,  however,  does  not  make  any 
change  in  the  sense ;  it  is  always  the  sword  destroy- 

Leviticus,  ten  in  Numbers,  and  eleven  in  Deuteronomy.    These  form 
the  fifty-four  parts  of  the  Pentateuch.    These  large  sections  have 
a»j0  subordinate  divisions,  but  they  are  marked  by  a  single  letter /<W, 
or  a  single  letter  sanuch. 
I  Deut.  xxxii.  25. 


ij  « 


THE  SYNAGOGUE  IN  CHINA. 


25 


ing  or  devouring,  which  avenges  the  Lord  on  the  sins 
of  Israel. 

With  regard  to  the  Takings  in  the  presses,  they  all 
have  the  vowel  points.  The  form  of  their  letters  very 
much  resembles  that  in  the  Bible  of  Athias,  printed 
at  Amsterdam  in  1705.  They  are,  however,  much 
more  beautiful,  larger  and  blacker.  All  are  written 
by  the  hand,  with  pencils  of  bamboo,  sharpened  at 
the  point  like  our  pens,  and  with  good  ink,  which 
they  make  themselves.  With  this  they  renew  them 
every  year  at  the  Feast  of  TabernLcles,  for  they  have 
great  scruples  with  regard  to  using  either  the  pencils 
or  the  ink  of  the  Chinese.  Their  paper  has  not  the 
same  delicacy  as  that  of  the  Chinese  ;  for,  in  place  of 
preparing  it  with  alum  water,  so  that  they  can  write 
on  both  sides,  they  prefer  pasting  a  number  of  leaves 
together,  so  as  to  make  one  having  the  thickness  of ' 
three  or  four  ordinary  leaves. 

The  Takings  are  all  seven  inches  in  length  and 
four  or  five  in  height.  They  contain  the  fifty-three 
divisions.  Each  division  contains  one  of  the  sections 
of  the  Pentateuch,  The  first  word  of  the  section  is 
written  without  initial  letter  and  without  points,  a 
little  above  the  middle  of  the  margin  of  the  first  page, 
in  a  little  square  formed  of  green  or  blue  silk,  or  of 
white  taffety,  in  the  form  Bereshith'^  for  the  first 
section  and  Noach"^  for  the  second,  and  so  with  the 
others ;  for  these  sections  are  the  same  as  in  the  Am- 

1  Bereshith,  "in  the  beginning."     This  is  the  commencement  of 
Gen.  i.    It  is,  therefore,  the  initial  word  of  the  first  section. — Trans. 

2  That  is,  Noah. 


"imm^ 


26 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


sterdam  Bible,  except  that  they  have  united  the  fifty- 
second  and  fifty-third  sections  in  one.  The  first  word 
written  in  the  margin  is  not  repeated  at  the  beginning 
of  the  section.  Each  page  is  marked  by  a  noun  of 
number,  and  not  by  a  numeral  letter.  It  is  always 
placed  in  the  middle  of  the  book,  above  the  first  word. 
As  each  section  forms  a  separate  division,  they  do 
not  mark  at  the  end  either  the  Phethura  or  the  Seth- 
uma.  Nevertheless,  separating  marks  are  not  entirely 
unknown,  although  much  more  rare  in  their  books  than 
in  ours.  They  place  theirs  in  the  margin,  and  they 
always  join  them  together  in  one  of  two  ways.  ^ 
There  are  four  of  them  in  the  division  Bereshith,  that 
is,  in  the  first  section  of  Genesis.  The  first  is  in  the 
first  chapter,  before  the  tenth  verse,  according  to  our 
way  of  counting  ;  the  second  is  in  the  same  chapter, 
before  the  twenty-seventh  verse ;  the  third  is  in 
chapter  second,  before  the  twenty-first  verse  ;  the 
fourth  is  in  the  third  chapter,  before  the  fourteenth 
verse.  Except  in  these  four  places,  the  first  section 
of  Genesis  has  no  marginal  note,  or  interval,  or  inter- 
linear separations.  They  know  nothing  of  the  Keri 
and  the  Ketib.  ^     They  mark  exactly  at  the  end  of  the 

1  Pe-Mem  or  Mem-Daleth. 

2  The  Ketib  is  a  cioubtful  word  adopted  in  the  text  and  marked 
with  a  small  circle  above  it,  which  refers  to  a  different  reading  in  the 
margin,  called  the  Keri.  These  different  readings  are  supposed  to 
have  been  inserted  by  Ezra  and  the  other  one  hundred  and  nineteen 
men  of  the  Great  Synagogue.  Rabbi  David  Kimchi  observes,  that, 
during  the  Captivity,  the  Sacred  Books  were  lost  or  dispersed,  and 
wise  men,  who  excelled  in  the  knowledge  of  Scripture,  were  dead. 
Hence  it  happened  that  the  men  of  the  Great  Synagogue,  who  re- 
stored the  Law  to  its  former  state,  found  varieties  in  different  books, 


THE  SYNAGOGUE  IN  CHINA.  2/ 

phrases  the  Pesukim}  that  is  to  say,  the  two  points 
which  they  call  Kela.  As  to  the  number  of  verses, 
they  only  mark  them  at  the  end  of  the  section  or  di- 
vision, below  the  last  line,  and  in  numeral  letters. 
Thus,  they  count  a  hundred  and  {ox\.y-^\xm Bereshith, 
or  in  the  first  division  ;  and  a  hundred  and  forty-three 
in  Noach,  or  the  second  division .^ 

They  have  large  and  small  letters.  For  example, 
the  first  word  of  Genesis,  Bereshith,  has  a  large  Beth  ; 
and  in  the  fourteenth  verse  of  the  second  chapter  of 
Genesis,  th'='.  vJovdH^hibaram  has  a  small  //"/.  Father 
Domenge  did  not  think  that  these  Jews  had  any 
knowledge  of  those  words  which  are  divided  into  two  ; 
or  of  those  of  which  two  form  one,  or  which  take  the 
place  of  other  words  ;  or,  in  fine,  of  those  which  they 
read  without  being  written,  or  those  which  they  write 
and  do  not  read.  However,  he  did  not  venture  to  de- 
cide, because  he  had  not  time  to  enter  into  a  suf- 
ficiently minute  detail  on  this  point  of  criticism. 

As  to  the  unspeakable  name  of  God,  J^ekovah,  they 
pronounce  it  Hotoi.  In  place  of  Adonai,  they  say 
Etunoi,  They  do  not  differ  from  us  in  the  pronunci- 
ation of  the  word  Elohim.  But  when  they  translate 
into  Chinese  the  name  of  Jehovah,  they  do  not  say, 
as  do  the  missionaries,  Tien-Tchu,  but  only  TieUy  as 

and  employed  the  knowledge  they  possessed  in  adjusting  them.  But, 
when  their  knowledge  failed,  they  wrote  one  word  in  the  text  and 
another  in  the  margin. — Trans. 

'  Punctuation  at  the  end  of  the  verse. —  Trans. 

^  The  verses  of  Bereshith  are  marked  by  the  letters,  Vav-Mem- 
Zoph,  that  is,  146 ;  and  those  of  Noach,  by  the  letters,  Gimel-Mem- 
Zophf  that  is,  143. 


28 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


the  Chinese  literary  scholars  do  when  they  explain 
their  characters  Chang-Ti. 

The  greatest  difference  which  Father  Domenge  dis- 
covered between  the  Takings  and  the  Bible  of  Am- 
sterdam, consisted  in  the  Raphi,  or  the  horizontal  line 
which  the  Jews  call  Lofi.  It  is  very  common  with 
them,  and  often  we  find  it  on  two  or  three  letters  of 
the  same  word.  The  form  of  their  accents  is  also  a 
little  different  in  its  position  and  shape,  which  in- 
duced Father  Domenge  to  conjecture  that  their 
Bible  was  perhaps  the  Oriental  Bible  of  Jacob  Ben 
Nephthali,  who  opened  his  schools  in  the  land  of 
Babylon  during  the  time  that  Ben  Ascher  held  his  in 
Palestine.  However,  these  Jews  have  no  acquaint- 
ance with  this  Rabbi,  and  their  knowledge  of  punctu- 
ation is  very  limited.  They  know  nothing  of  all  that 
array  of  names  which  we  find  in  our  European  books. 
They  have  only  the  general  word  Siman  to  express 
the  points  and  accents. 

We  now  come  to  the  comparisons  which  Father 
Domenge  made  of  the  Bible  of  Amsterdam  with 
these  most  ancient  Takings  of  China.  We  had  re- 
quested him  to  verify  certain  passages  in  Genesis 
which  most  occupied  the  attention  of  critics.  He 
examined  them,  but  did  not  discover  any  difference.  ^ 
In  the  twenty-third  chapter,  verse  second,  he  did  not 
see  that  the  chaph  of  the  word  libechotha  ^  was  appar- 

1  The  places  which  Father  Domenge  examined  were,  chap.  ii.  17  ; 
Hi.  17;  vii.  II ;  viii.  4,  7  ;  xi.  entire ;  xiii.  3 ;  xvii.  22 ;  xxiii.  2  ;  xxiv. 
2;  xxxiii.  4;  xlvii.,  xlviii.,  xlix.,  entire. 

2  Gen.  xxiii.  2.  Our  Bibles  mark  with  a  very  small  chaph  this 
word,  which  expresses  the  tears  which  Abraham  shed  on  the  death 
of  his  wife  Sarah. 


THE  SYNAGOGUE  IN  CHINA. 


29 


ently  smaller.  Nevertheless,  the  chief  of  the  syna- 
gogue told  him  that  it  was.  They  seemed  not  to  be 
acquainted  with  the  ancient  manner  of  taking  an 
oath  mentioned  in  chapter  twenty-fourth,  verse  sec- 
ond. It  is  not  a  custom  among  them.  They  say,  that 
they  contented  themselves,  by  not  going  to  take  an 
oath  in  the  idol  temples.  On  the  word  vajiscakekou} 
of  chapter  thirty-third,  verse  fourth,  there  are  six 
points,  the  first  apparently  much  larger  than  a  single 
point. 

The  twelfth  section  of  their  Takings  begins,  as  in 
the  Bible  of  Amsterdam,  with  the  word  vejch^^  of 
chapter  forty-seventh,  verse  twenty-eighth.  It  con- 
tains all  the  prophecies  of  Jacob  to  his  children.  They 
are  written  together,  without  separations,  without  Ph^- 
thura  and  without  Sethuma. 

Father  Domenge  asked  them  what  they  understood 
by  the  word  Siloh  and  by  that  of  Jescuatheca,  which 
so  often  occurs  in  their  Scriptures ;  but  the  y  did  not 
make  any  reply.  These  Jews,  at  the  present  day,  are 
so  ignorant  as  not  to  understand  their  own  entire  text. 

We  had  asked  Father  Domenge  to  see  what  was 
the  punctuation  of  the  word  Hammitta,  chapter  forty- 
seventh,  verse  thirty-first,  to  learn  if  they  wrote  it 
Hatmnitta  or  Hammatt^.  He  forgot  it,  but  he  thought 
that,  having  found  so  great  conformity  with  the  Am- 
sterdam Bible  in  other  places,  it  was  highly  probable 
there  would  be  the  same  in  this. 

It  only  remains  to  make  two  observations  on  these 

1  Gen.  xxxiii.  4.     It  is  in  this  singular  way  that  it  expresses  the 
kiss  of  peace  which  Esau  gave  to  his  brother  Jacob. 


30 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


discoveries  of  Father  Domenge.  At  the  end  of  Bere- 
shithy  that  is,  the  first  division  of  this  Taking,  he 
found  an  inscription  which  is  very  much  defaced  in 
the  copy  which  he  sent.  Nevertheless,  we  recognize 
there  the  names  of  different  rabbies.  It  seems  to  be 
a  record  of  remembrance  of  their  doctors,  and,  in 
particular,  of  one  who  had  come  from  Medina,  and 
who,  perhaps,  had  procured  this  Taking.  It  ends  with 
the  words  :  ^^  Blesshtgs  rest  on  yon  on  your  departure. 
Blessings  on  you  on  your  return.  Abimdant  glory  in 
the  possession  of  these  treasures.  Lord,  I  have  waited 
for  Thy  salvation.  "  ^ 

Father  Domenge  saw  also  a  scroll  attached  to  one 
of  the  columns  of  the  Li-pai-s^,  which  had  marked  on 
it  the  Mineaha,  that  is  to  say,  the  order  of  the  reading 
of  the  sections  of  the  Pentateuch.  At  the  two  ends 
it  made  mention  of  two  books  with  which  I  am  unac- 
quainted. The  first  is  named  Noumaha.  It  is  divided 
into  twelve  parts,  and  is  read  on  the  first  day  of  each 
great  month  and  on  the  second  of  the  small  months. 
The  other,  named  Mouphtar,  is  also  divided  into 
twelve  parts.  It  is  read  on  the  fifteenth  day  of  the 
great  months  and  the  sixteenth  of  the  small  months.  ^ 
Father  Domenge  endeavored  to  learn  what  these 
books  contained  ;  but  the  pronunciation  of  these  Jews 
is  so  singular  that  he  could  not  comprehend  what  they 
said. 


1  The  Jesuit  writer  gives  this  inscription  in  the  Hebrew. — Trans, 

2  Every  o^^her  month  of  the  Jewish  year  contained  thirty  days,  the 
alternate  one  having  but  twenty-nine  days.  This  constituted  the 
difference  between  the  great  and  small  months. — Trans. 


THE  SYNAGOGUE  IN  CHINA. 


31 


In  addition  to  what  I  have  so  far  reported,  we 
thought  that  perhaps  these  Jews  of  China  had  no 
other  books  of  the  Holy  Scripture  but  the  Penta- 
teuch. But  in  this  we  were  mistaken.  They  have 
also  many  others  ;  but  they  do  not  give  the  title 
of  Canonical  to  any  but  the  Pentateuch  alone.  The 
other  books  they  call  San-tso,  that  is  to  say,  supple- 
mentary or  detached  books.  Under  this  title  they 
comprehend  Joshua  and  the  Judges,  which  they  have 
not  entire ;  Schemoiieul,  or  Samuel,  which  is  entire ; 
Melachinty  or  the  last  two  books  of  Kings,  which  are 
mutilated  in  several  places  ;  David,  or  the  Psalms,  as 
to  the  entireness  of  which  he  did  not  examine.  This 
first  part  of  the  San-tso  makes  more  than  thirty  vol- 
umes. The  second  part  contains  the  Hafoutala,  it 
being  thus  that  they  call  the  Haphtaroik,  or  propheti- 
cal sections.  They  say  that  they  formerly  had  of 
this  more  than  eighty  volumes.  We  find  no  difficulty 
in  believing  this  ;  because  their  books  never  contain  a 
large  number  of  chapters,  and  they  unite  with  the 
prophets  the  Chronicles,  or  the  Paralypomenes.  Isaiah, 
whom  they  call  Is^haka,  and  Jeremiah,  whom  they 
name  JmndUiohum,  are  almost  entire.  These  they 
read  on  festival  days.  They  have  nothing  of  Eze- 
kiel,  and  nothing  of  Daniel  but  some  verses  of  the 
first  chapter. 

Of  the  minor  prophets,  they  have  remaining  Ju- 
enaha^  or  Jonah  ;  Micaha,  or  Micah  ;  Nahouam,  or 
Nahum  ;  Hapacouque,  or  Habakkuk  ;  Sicaleio,  or  Zech- 
ariah.  The  greater  part  of  these  minor  prophets  are 
not  entire,  and  they  have  nothing  of  the  rest.     The 


32 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


book  of  Chronicles,  or  the  Paralypomenes,  which  they 
call  Tiveli-Haiamiim,  is  also  badly  mutilated ;  they 
have  remaining  of  it  only  the  four  or  five  first  chap- 
ters. The  books  of  Nehemiah  and  Esther  are  a  little 
less  imperfect.  The  Jews  of  China  have  a  very  great 
veneration  for  this  princess :  they  always  call  her 
Issetha  Mama,  or  the  Great  Mother.  Their  respect 
extends  also  to  Mordecai,  whom  they  call  Moltoghi, 
They  regard  them  as  the  saviors  of  Israel. 

Tv»ro  of  their  books,  which  would  be  the  most  val- 
ued in  Europe,  are  the  first  two  books  of  the  Macca- 
bees. It  appeared  that  they  call  them  Mantiiohuin, 
or  Matkatias,  and  that  they  have  but  a  single  copy. 
Father  Domenge  tried  every  imaginable  way  to  pur- 
chase it,  or  at  least  to  procure  a  copy  ;  but  they  were 
not  willing  to  listen  to  any  proposition. 

To  all  these  books  of  San-tsoy  the  Jews  add  also 
their  Li-pai,  that  is  to  say,  their  rituals  or  books  of 
prayers.  Each  Li-pai  contains  fifty  or  fifty-two  di- 
visions. They  are  written  in  large  characters.  These 
volumes  are  longer  and  larger  than  books  in  Europe 
and  China,  and  of  an  inch  in  thickness.  These  prayers 
are  almost  all  taken  from  Scripture,  and  particularly 
from  the  Psalms.  Besides  these,  they  have  four  vol- 
umes of  the  Mischna^  and  different  interpreters  in 

^  The  Mischna  consists  of  the  traditions  of  the  Jews  and  expla- 
nations of  several  passages  of  Scripture.  They  are  said  to  have  been 
delivered  to  Moses  when  on  the  Mount,  and  afterwards  handed  down 
to  the  seventy  elders,  by  whom  they  were  communicated  to  the  men 
of  the  Great  Sanhedrim,  from  whom  the  wise  men  of  Jerusalem  and 
Babylon  received  them. 

Dr.  Prideaux,  rejecting  this  fiction,  says  that,  after  the  death  of 


THE  SYNAGOGUE  IN  CHINA. 


33 


equally  bad  order,  which  they  call  in  Chinese  Tiang- 
tchang. 

Notwithstanding  the  possession  of  all  these  books, 
Father  Domenge  found  these  Jews  in  a  state  of  great 
ignorance.  The  most  able  among  them  did  not  un- 
derstand certain  parts  of  the  Pentateuch,  or  of  those 
books  which  they  read  the  most  frequently.  They 
were  very  sensible  of  their  deficiency  on  this  point, 
and  excused  themselves  by  saying  that  it  was  more 
than  a  century  since  any  doctor  of  Si-ya,  that  is,  of 
the  West,  had  come  to  them ;  and  that  it  was  a  long 
time  since  they  had  lost  their  Tou-khig-puen,  that  is, 
their  grammar,  or  their  book  for  understanding  the 
Scriptures. 

Father  Gozani  adds,  that  they  used  their  sacred 
books  when  they  cast  lots.  They  practised  circum- 
cision on  the  seventh  day  after  birth.  On  the  Sab- 
bath days  they  did  not  even  light  a  fire  in  their  dwell- 
ings. They  observe  the  Passover  and  many  other 
solemnities.  There  is  one  day  which  they  spend  en- 
tirely in  their  synagogue  in  weeping  and  wailing.^ 
They  are  acquainted  with  the  existence  of  angels,  of 
the  cherubim  and  seraphim.  Father  Gozani  could 
draw  nothing  from  them  with  regard  to  the  Messiah, 
though  he  often  questioned  them.  They  do  not  re- 
Simon  the  Just,  about  292  years  before  Christ,  the  Mischnial  doctors 
arose,  so  that  towards  the  middle  of  the  second  century  it  became 
necessary  to  commit  their  works  to  writing.  The  original  has  been 
published,  with  a  Latin  translation  from  the  learned  Maimonides,  in 
6  vols.,  folio.     Amsterdam,  169S-1703. — Trans. 

*  This  is  a  service  introduced  since  the  fall  of  Jerusalem,  when 
they  thus  lament  the  destruction  of  their  temple. —  Trans. 
2*  c 


34 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


ceive  proselytes,  and  never  intermarry  with  strangers. 
They  have  printed  in  Chinese  a  small  volume  explan- 
atory of  their  religion,  which  they  present  to  the 
mandarins  whenever  there  are  any  threats  of  perse- 
cution. 

Their  scholars  and  doctors  honor  Confucius.  They 
pay  reverence,  also,  to  all  their  deceased  ancestors,  and 
have  their  memorial  tablets  after  the  manner  of  the 
Chinese.  In  the  innermost  part  of  their  synagogue, 
they  have  a  hall  where  they  preserve  the  tablets  of 
their  departed  benefactors.  At  the  entrance  of  the 
synagogue  is  an  ancient  pai-fa^  or  tablet,  with  the 
inscription  King-Tien.  This  is  in  the  same  charac- 
ters which  the  Emperor  Cang-Hi  himself  wrote,  to 
place  on  the  church  of  the  Jesuit  missionaries. 

In  their  prayers  they  turn  in  the  direction  of  the 
West.  Their  Li-pai-S^,  or  their  synagogue,  is  built 
in  the  same  direction.  This,  without  doubt,  is  in 
memory  of  Jerusalem,  which,  with  reference  to  them, 
is  in  the  West.  The  rich  easily  excuse  themselves 
from  going  to  the  synagogue.  It  is  only  necessary 
to  have,  made  a  copy  of  one  Taking  and  to  place  it  in 
the  presses.  The  consequence  is,  that,  at  ordinary 
services,  one  does  not  see  more  than  forty  or  fifty 
persons  in  the  Li-pai-S^.  A  Taking  which  has  been 
placed  in  the  presses  can  never  again  be  taken  from 
the  synagogue.  A  Jew  had  agreed  to  sell  his  to 
Father  Domenge,  but  was  surprised  while  he  was 
bringing  it  out.  They  arrested  him,  and  heaped  on 
him  great  reproaches. 

Such  are  the  facts  with  which  we  had  become  ac- 


THE  SYNAGOGUE  IN  CHINA. 


35 


quaintcd  with  regard  to  the  Jews  in  China,  when 
Father  Gaiibil,  so  widely  known  in  Europe  for  his 
zeal  to  transmit  to  it  every  thing  which  could  awaken 
its  interest  with  respect  to  the  learning  of  Asia,  made 
a  voyage  to  Cai-song-Foti.  He  was  very  well  received, 
and  profited  by  this  circumstance  to  obtain  further 
information.  It  is  to  him  we  are  indebted  for  these 
Chinese  inscriptions  which  are  in  the  synagogue. 

The  first  was  placed  there  in  1444,  by  a  Jewish 
scholar,  named  Kin-Tchong.  This  is  the  summary 
of  it  as  sent  to  us  by  Father  Gaubil :  — 

"The  author  of  the  Law  of  Y-se-lo-Yey  Israel,  is 
Ha-von-lo-Ha7i^  Abraham.  This  holy  man  lived  a 
hundred  and  forty-six  years  before  the  commence- 
ment of  Tcheou.  His  Law  was  handed  down  by  tra- 
dition to  Nky,  Moses.  He  received  his  book  on 
Mount  Sinai.  He  was  always  in  unison  with  Heaven. 
The  doctrine  which  is  contained  there  is  almost  the 
same  as  that  of  the  Chinese  Kings."  '  The  author 
here  draws  a  parallel  between  the  doctrine  of  the  Chi- 
nese and  that  of  the  Jews.  He  brings  forward  many 
passages  to  prove,  in  particular,  that  the  worship  which 
they  rendered  to  Heaven,  the  ceremonies  which  they 
observed,  their  fasts,  their  prayers,-  their  manner  of 
honoring  the  dead,  are  almost  the  same.  He  pretends 
that  we  find  in  the  book  called  Y-King  some  traces 
of  the  sanctification  of  the  Sabbath.  He  added  that 
Moses  lived  six  hundred  and  thirty  years  before  the 
commencement  of  Tcheoti.  He  speaks  of  Gai-sse-La, 
Esdras,  and  praises  the  zeal  which  induced  him  to  re- 

*  Sacred  Books. —  Trans, 


36 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


Store  their  books,  to  instruct  and  correct  the  people 
of  Israel. 

Some  one  has  appended  to  this  inscription  a  de- 
tailed account  of  the  inundation  which  destroyed  this 
synagogue  in  1462,  and  has  noticed  the  fact  that  the 
Jews  of  Niinpo  and  Ning-Hia  gave  their  books  to  re- 
place the  losses  they  had  suffered. 

Tso-Tang,  Grand  Mandarin  and  Grand  Treasurer  of 
the  province  of  S^-T^/iuan,  placed  the  second  inscrip- 
tion in  15 15,  the  tenth  year  of  the  Emperor  Tching- 
7y,  named  also  Vou-Tsoung. 

It  begins  with  these  words  :  "  The  Law  of  Israel. 
Ha-Kan,  Adam,  is  the  first  man.  He  was  of  Tiett- 
Tcho  in  the  West.^  The  Jews  have  one  Law  and 
their  traditions.  The  Law  is  contained  in  five  books 
and  fifty-three  sections."  The  Mandarin  here  gives 
a  grand  eulogium  on  the  Law.  He  then  adds  :  "  The 
Jews  reverence  Heaven  as  we  do.  Abraham  is  the 
author  of  their  Law  :  he  is  their  father.  Moses  pub- 
lished this  Law :  he  is  their  legislator.  In  the  time 
olHan,  the  Jews  settled'in  China,  and,  in  the  twenti- 
eth year  of  cycle  65,  ^  they  offered  to  the  li^mperor 
Hiao-Tsottg  z.  tribute  of  the  workmanship  of  the  In- 
dies. He  received  them  favorably,  and  permitted  them 
to  remain  at  Cai-fong-Fou,  which  was  called  at  that 
time  Pien-Leang.  They  formed  there  seventy  fiiiSy 
or  families.      They  built  a  synagogue,  where  they 

1  In  the  latter  part  of  this  article,  where  the  residence  of  Adam 
is  again  mentioned,  Tien-  Tcho  is  stated  to  mean  some  country  to  the 
west  of  them,  probably  Syria. — Trans. 

2  This  year  is  1163  after  Christ,  and  the  first  of  the  reign  of  HiaO' 
Tsong. 


THE  SYNAGOGUE  IN  CHINA. 


37 


placed  their  Kings,  that  is  to  say,  their  Sacred 
Books." 

The  mandarin  goes  on  to  say  that  these  Kings 
were  not  for  th  ;  Jews  of  Cai-fong-Fou  alone,  but  they 
had  reference  to  all  men,  the  rulers  and  their  subjects, 
the  fathers  and  their  children,  the  old  and  the  young, 
as  each  might  there  learn  his  duties. 

After  this  reflection,  the  mandarin  shows  that  the 
Law  of  the  Jews  is  almost  the  same  as  that  of  the 
Chinese,  since  the  essential  points  of  both  are  to  wor- 
ship Heaven,  to  reverence  their  parents,  and  to  render 
to  the  dead  the  honors  which  were  due  them. 

These  are  the  terms  used  by  the  mandarin,  who 
adds  a  high  commendation  of  the  Jews.  He  affirms 
that  in  the  different  countries,  in  commerce,  in  the 
magistracy,  in  the  armies,  they  are  universally  es- 
teemed for  their  in!  -,rity,  their  fidelity,  and  the 
exactness  with  whicl  '^ey  observe  their  ceremonies. 
He  ends  with  saying  that  this  Law  passed  from  Adam 
to  Niiova,  Noah,  from  Noah  to  Abraham,  to  Isaac,  to 
Jacob,  to  the  twelve  tribes,  to  Moses,  to  Aaron,  to 
Joshua,  to  Esdras,  who  had  been  their  second  legis- 
lator. 

In  the  second  year  of  the  Emperor  Cang-Hi,^  a 
great  mandarin,  who  was  ai'tninister  of  the  empire, 
placed  the  third  inscription.  He  there  first  speaks 
of  Adam,  of  Noah,  of  Abraham,  and  of  Moses.  He 
highly  praises  the  virtue  of  Abraham.  He  says  that 
he  adored  the  Heaven,  without  figure,  without  image, 
as  the  author  and  preserver  of  all  things,  being  eternal 

1  This  second  year  of  Cang-Hi  answers  to  the  years  1662  and  1663. 


38 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


and  without  beginning,  and  that  his  Law  is  observed 
even  to  the  present  time.  He  then  goes  on  to  com- 
pare the  times  of  Abraham  and  of  Moses  with  those 
of  the  Chinese  emperors ;  but  this  part  is  full  of  errors. 

He  adds  that  Moses  received  the  Law  on  Mount 
Sinai ;  that  he  fasted  forty  days  and  forty  nights  ; 
that  his  heart  was  always  elevated  to  God ;  that  the 
Law  was  comprised  in  fifty-three  sections ;  and  that 
the  whole  of  it  is  admirable.  He  gives  a  commenda- 
tion of  Esdras,  the  restorer  of  this  Law.  He  praises 
the  Jews,  and  shows  the  conformity  of  their  doctrine 
with  that  of  the  Tukias,  that  is  to  say,  the  literary 
scholars  of  China.  He  depends  upon  the  authority 
of  the  Kings  to  prove  that  anciently  in  China  they 
sanctified  the  Sabbath.  He  even  goes  so  far  as  to 
pretend  that  the  Hebrew  characters  are  much  in  ac- 
cordance with  the  ancient  Chinese  characters.  He 
enters  into  minute  detail  with  regard  to  the  inunda- 
tion which  destroyed  the  synagogue  of  Cai-fong-Fou, 
in  1462,  the  seventh  year  of  the  Emperor  Tien-Tchurty 
who  was  formerly  called  hig-Thong.  The  books  were 
very  much  injured.  A  Jew,  of  Nimpo,  named  F«, 
brought  an  entire  Bible,  in  which  he  had  copied  all 
the  Kings.  In  1490,  the  second  year  of  Hoftg-Tchi, 
they  rebuilt  the  Li-pai-S^.  Yeu  Toula  bore  the  ex- 
pense of  the  edifice. 

The  mi*  Jarin  ends  by  speaking  of  the  three  differ- 
ent sects  of  China.  He  repeats  that  the  Law  of  the 
Jews  is  entirely  conformed  to  that  of  the  Tukias,  or 
the  literary  scholars,  in  every  thing  with  respect  to  the 
worship  of   Heaven,  the  submission  and  respect  of 


THE  SYNAGOGUE  IN  CHI/^A. 


39 


children  for  their  fathers,  of  subjects  for  their  princes, 
and  the  honors  which,  at  certain  times,  we  should  ren- 
der to  the  dead. 

The  fourth  and  last  inscription  repeats  again  these 
praises  of  Abraham,  the  nineteenth  descendant  of 
Adam  ;  of  Moses,  of  Esdras,  of  the  Law  which  pre- 
scribes the  adoration  of  Heaven,  the  Creator  of  all 
things,  without  any  mingling  of  false  gods  on  the  part 
of  the  Jews,  who  are  most  faithful  observers  of  this 
Law.  The  inundation  of  1642  is  there  described  at 
length.  The  synagogue  was  destroyed.  A  multitude 
of  Jews  perished.  Twenty-six  sections  of  their  books 
were  lost.  The  rest  were  saved.  Out  of  these  relics 
they  formed,  in  1654,  one  large  volume.  We  find 
there  the  names  of  those  who  restored  these  books 
and  who  copied  them.  All  were  reviewed  again  by 
Tchan-Kiao,  that  is,  by  the  Ruler  of  the  synagogue ; 
and  the  inscription  certifies  that  all  was  exact.  It 
ends  with  a  general  description  of  the  new  Li-pai-Si^ 
its  different  detached  buildings,  its  halls,  its  courts, 
and  its  gates.  The  names  of  the  builders  are  given, 
also  of  those  persons  who  contributed  to  the  expense 
of  the  tablet  of  the  Emperor  and  of  the  Bethel.  We 
find  also  there  the  names  of  the  seven  families  who 
resided  at  Cai-fong-Fou. 

Father  Gaubil  did  not  content  himself  with  obtain- 
ing the  exact  copies  of  these  monuments,  but  he  made 
himself  intimate  with  these  Jews.  He  informed  him- 
self of  their  belief  and  of  their  customs.  He  learned 
by  their  conversation  what  they  thought  of  purgatory, 
of  hell,  of  the  judgment,  of  paradise,  of  the  resurrec- 


40 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


tion  of  the  body,  and  of  the  angels.  But  they  had 
no  particular  profession  of  their  faith.  He  explained 
to  them  the  meaning  which  we  commonly  attach  to 
the  word  Jehovah.  All  applauded  him  and  assured 
him  that  they  had  always  recognized  in  this  word  the 
eternity  of  God,  that  it  signified  to  be,  to  have  been, 
and  to  continue  to  be. 

He  thought  that  this  occasion  was  favorable  to  his 
learning  their  explanation  of  the  word  Siloh,  so  cele- 
brated in  the  prophecy  of  Jacob.  He  was  the  more 
curious  to  learn  what  they  thought  of  this  word,  be- 
cause, some  time  before,  there  had  happened  to  him  a 
most  singular  adventure  connected  with  this  subject. 
Being  one  day  at  Hafi-Keou,  an  important  port  of  Ho7i- 
quam,  where  Father  Couteux  was  residing,  he  learned 
that  this  father  had  living  with  him  a  Chinese,  who 
was  a  high  literary  scholar,  and  who  had  a  remarkable 
talent  for  deciphering  ancient  letters.  In  the  belief 
which  he  entertained  that  the  letters  of  the  word 
Siloh  were  anciently  hieroglyphics,  he  asked  this 
Chinese,  who  had  no  acquaintance  with  Hebrew,  to 
give  him  his  views  on  Siloh,  which  he  wrote,  after  the 
manner  of  the  Chinese,  the  letters  one  above  the 
other. ^  As  soon  as  the  Chines''  saw  these  characters, 
he  said  that  the  first  signified  verj'  high,  the  second. 
Lord,  the  third  one,  and  the  fourt'    man.     He  added 


*  Hebrew  Letters 

Chinese 

Explanation  of 

of  Siloh. 

Explanation. 

the  Jews. 

Schin. 

Very  high. 

Grand. 

Jod. 

Lord. 

One. 

Lamed. 

One. 

Descending. 

H^. 

Man. 

Man. 

THE  SYNAGOGUE  IN  CHINA. 


41 


that  in  China  they  gave  this  name  to  him,  whom  they 
called  ChtJtg-Ein^  that  is,  the  holy  man.  The  surprise 
of  Father  Couteux,  and  of  Father  Jacques,  who  was 
also  present  with  Father  Gaubil,  was  extreme.  The 
explanation  of  the  Jews  was  not  less  remarkable ;  for 
Father  Gaubil,  having  questioned  them  on  this  point, 
at  first  all  were  silent.  He  went  on  to  explain  to 
them  what  the  Fathers  and  doctors  understood  by  this 
term.  A  young  Jew,  then,  with  much  politeness,  asked 
permission  to  speak,  and  said  that  one  of  his  great 
uncles,  who  had  now  been  dead  for  a  long  time,  had 
assured  him  that  there  was  in  this  word  something  of 
the  Divinity :  that  the  Schin  signified  great ;  the  yod^ 
one ;  the  Lamed,  descending  ;  and  the  H^,  man  ;  that  it 
signified  in  this  very  singular  way  the  Divine  Saviour, 
who  was  to  descend  from  heaven  to  earth.  The  young 
Jew  added  that  he  did  not  know  any  other  meaning. 
He  became  much  attached  to  Father  Gaubil,  followed 
him,  inquired  of  him  his  name,  his  residence,  and  as- 
sured him  that  he  would  often  hear  from  him. 

But,  having  gone  to  the  synagogue,  Father  Gaubil 
asked  to  see  their  books.  The  Tckang-Kiao,  or  ruler 
of  the  synagogue,  consented.  Besides  the  books  of 
which  I  have  already  spoken,  they  showed  him  one 
which  they  had  hitherto  concealed  from  the  mission- 
aries, and  which,  by  its  singularity,  arrested  the  entire 
attention  of  the  father.  It  was  the  remains  of  the 
Pentateuch,  which  seemed  to  have  been  much  dam- 
aged by  water.  It  was  written  on  rolls,  on  paper  of 
a  very  uncommon  kind ;  the  characters  were  large, 
clear,  and  in  their  form  something  between  the  He- 


42 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


brew  of  the  Bible  of  Antwerp  and  that  which  we  see 
in  the  Hebrew  and  Chaldaic  grammar,  printed  at 
Wiirtemberg  in  1531.  It  had  nothing  below  the  let- 
ters, but  above  them  were  accents  and  a  peculiar  kind 
of  points,  "such,"  said  Father  Gaubil,  "as  I  have 
never  seen  elsewhere."  He  questioned  the  Tchaftg- 
Kiao  about  the  manuscript,  which  seemed  to  have  all 
the  air  of  antiquity.     This  is  what  he  learned. 

In  the  time  of  the  Emperor  Van-Lie.,  the  synagogue 
was  burnt,  and  all  their  books  were  destroyed  for 
the  second  time.  But  some  Jews  of  Si-yu  having 
arrived  under  these  circumstances,  they  obtained  of 
them  a  Bible  with  the  other  books.  The  Pentateuch 
is  the  only  one  of  these  books  which  they  have  pre- 
served in  the  original.  Of  the  others,  which  were 
destroyed  by  the  lapse  of  time,  they  have  only  copies. 
Father  Gaubil  offered  a  large  sum  for  this  Pentateuch, 
but  it  was  refused.  He  agreed,  nevertheless,  on  the 
price  for  a  copy,  which  they  promised  him. 

He  then  asked  the  Jews  who  were  present  to 
explain  to  him  some  passages  in  their  books.  They 
excused  themselves  on  the  plea  that  it  had  been  a 
long  time  since  any  of  their  masters  had  come  to  th^m 
from  the  West,  and  that  they  had  lost  their  Ton-king- 
Puen}  and  that  except  the  Pentateuch,  of  which 
they  understood  a  little,  they  were  not  able  to  explain 
the  other  books  of  Scripture,  nor  their  commentators, 
nor  what  remained  to  them  of  the  Mischna. 

In  their  turn  they  asked  Father  Gaubil  to  explain 

1  In  a  previous  part  of  the  letter  this  is  explained  to  be  their 
Grammar,  or  book  to  explain  the  Scriptures.  —  Trans. 


THE  SYNAGOGUE  IN  CHINA, 


45 


some  passage.  He  selected  the  prophecy  of  Jacob, 
the  Ten  Commandments  of  God,  and  the  command 
to  know  but  one  God.  He  wished  to  explain  to  them 
the  passage  of  Isaiah  on  the  advent  of  the  Messiah  ; 
but  he  found  the  place  torn  off  in  the  book  which  they 
had  given  him.  He  informed  them  of  its  history,  and 
they  seemed  well  contented  with  what  he  told  them. 

Then  one  of  the  Jews  took  the  book,  and  explained 
the  verse,  —  Hear,  O  Israel,  the  Lord  thy  God  is  God 
alone.  He  explained  also  the  command  of  circum- 
cision ;  but  the  pronunciation  of  these  Jews  is  so  sin- 
gular that  the  father  would  not  ha^'e  been  able  to 
recognize  what  this  Jew  read  in  the  Hebrew,  unless 
he  had  the  book  before  his  eyes. 

One  can  readily  conceive  that  these  Jews,  having 
for  so  long  a  time  lost  all  intercourse  with  the  West- 
ern Jews,  and  having  been  born  in  China,  where  one 
is  not  able  to  catch  many  of  our  sounds,  where  they 
even  have  not  the  letters  B,  D,  E,  and  R,  would  be 
obliged  to  pronounce  P  for  B,  T  for  D,  *>  for  E,  and 
L  for  R.  They  also  give  a  nasal  sound  to  many  syl- 
lables, especially  the  hu.  Thus,  ir  place  of  pronounc- 
ing, as  we  do,  tohu  ra  bohu,  they  pronounce  theohum 
ro  peohum.  They  say  thoulaha  or  thaulatfk  for  thora, 
pielechitsee  for  beseschith,  schemesse  for  schentoth,  pie- 
mitzpaul  for  bmidar,  and  teveliim  for  debarim. 

Father  Gaubil,  having  satisfied  himself  on  the  points 
with  regard  to  which  he  had  come  to  inquire,  and 
entirely  content  with  the  reception  he  had  met  with, 
departed  from  Cai-fong-Fou  to  return  to  Pekin,  with 
the  hope  of  shortly  receiving  a  copy  of  the  curious 


44 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


Pentateuch  which  he  had  seen,  and  already  planning 
a  second  voyage,  when  he  would  be  able  to  accomplish 
what  he  had  begun  so  happily.  But  the  religious 
revolution  which  took  place  destroyed  our  residence 
at  Cai-fong-Fou^  and  broke  up  the  intercourse  which 
we  had  with  those  Jews. 

After  having  thus  with  care  brought  together  the 
different  subjects  which  I  have  found  scattered  through 
many  manuscript  letters  of  the  missionaries,  it  only 
remains  for  me  to  make  some  reflections  on  different 
points  which  have  appeared  to  me  to  merit  some  dis- 
cussion. I  have  reserved  these  for  the  end  of  this 
Memoir,  so  that  the  detail  of  these  discoveries  might 
be  better  followed,  and  that  my  ideas,  or  my  conject- 
ures, might  not  be  found  to  have  been  substituted  for 
the  researches. 

According  to  these  monuments,  Adam  was  created 
in  Tien-tcho.  The  Chinese  give  this  name  to  five 
different  countries.  The  two  most  celebrated  are 
that  part  of  India  which  is  towards  the  kingdom  of 
Bengal,  where  Fo  was  born  ;  and  Syria,  with  the  king- 
dom of  Medina.  It  is,  without  doubt,  of  Syria  that 
we  must  understand  these  inscriptions.  Anciently 
they  called  this  country  Tien-tang,  that  is,  the  country 
of  Heaven.  They  have  named  it  again  at  the  present 
day  Tien-fang. 

The  Jews  know  nothing  of  Caenan,  of  whom  Saint 
Luke  and  the  Septuagint  have  spoken,  since  they  say 
that  Abraham  was  the  nineteenth  descendant  from 
Adam. 

We  find  more  difficulty  in  the  epoch  of  the  times  of 


THE  SYNAGOGUE  IN  CHINA. 


45 


Abraham,  which  they  make  to  correspond  with  the 
hundred  and  forty-sixth  year  of  Tcheou.  This  dynasty 
did  not  begin  until  the  year  1122  before  Christ,  and 
the  death  of  Abraham  was  more  than  eighteen  centu- 
ries before  the  Christian  era.  I  have  found  in  a  work 
of  Father  Gaubil,  on  the  Chinese  chronology,  a  solu- 
tion of  this  difficulty,  which  is  very  plausible.  He 
remarks  that  before  the  dynasty  of  Tcheou  ascended 
the  throne  of  China  it  had  occupied  one  kingdom 
there  ;  that  Heoutsi,  chi"if  of  this  family,  and  his  suc- 
cessors, are  spoken  of  in  history  by  the  title  of  kings. 
But  the  times  of  Heojitsi  went  back  even  to  those  of 
lao,  who  commenced  to  reign  at  least  1226  years 
before  Jesus  Christ.  The  times  of  Abraham,  then, 
can  coincide  with  the  one  hundred  and  forty-sixth 
year  of  the  family  of  Tcheou,  the  chief  of  which  was 
Heoutsi. 

This  solution  equally  explains  what  relates  to  the 
times  of  Moses,  which  these  monuments  carry  back  to 
the  year  613  of  Tcheou.  There  does  not  remain  any 
difficulty  but  with  regard  to  the  four  hundred  and 
sixty-seven  years  which  these  inscriptions  suppose  to 
have  been  between  Abraham  and  Moses  ;  for  between 
the  births  of  Abraham  and  of  Moses  there  were  but 
four  hundred  and  twenty-five  years.  This  leaves  forty- 
two  years.  I  could  with  equal  willingness  receive  the 
conjecture  that  this  is  the  time  that  Moses  remained 
in  the  house  of  Pharaoh,  while  he  informed  himself  in 
all  the  sciences  of  the  Egyptians.  But  these  Jews  of 
China  have  followed  some  traditions,  or  some  proba- 
bilities, which  marked  the  time  when  this  great  man 


I 


m 


46 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


I, 


began  to  show  his  zeal  for  the  deliverance  of  his 
people. 

As  to  the  antiquity  of  the  Taking,  which  these 
Jews  told  Father  Domenge  they  had  possessed  for 
three  thousand  years,  it  is  evident  that  they  did  not 
refer  to  a  particular  manuscript,  which  had  an  an- 
tiquity of  three  thousand  years,  but  to  the  Law  which 
had  been  given  by  Moses  three  thousand  years  before. 
And,  in  fact,  since  the  publication  of  the  Law  on 
Mount  Sinai,  to  the  time  when  they  conversed  with 
Father  Domenge,  there  had  elapsed,  according  to  the 
usual  calculation  of  the  Jews  in  Europe,  three  thou- 
sand years.  It  is  this  which  proves  to  us  that  the 
chronology  of  the  Jews  of  China  is  the  same  with 
that  of  the  Jews  of  Europe. 

We  come  now  to  the  period  when  these  Jews 
entered  China.  They  always  stated  to  all  our  mis- 
sionaries that  they  made  their  entry  there  under  the 
family  of  Han,  and  their  monuments  say  the  same. 
The  dynasty  of  Han  commenced  in  the  year  206 
before  Jesus  Christ.  It  is,  then,  during  this  period 
that  the  Jews  penetrated  into  China.  They  might 
have  gone  there  before  the  ruin  of  their  country  ;  but 
it  is  much  more  natural  to  believe  that  it  was  not  till 
after  the  frightful  destruction  of  Jerusalem,  when, 
dispersed  into  all  parts,  those  of  Corassan  and  of  the 
Transoxan^  spread  into  China.  This  conjecture  ap- 
proaches even  to  a  certainty,  when  I  recall  the  fact 
that  many  of  these  Jews  have  assured  me  that  they 
arrived  under  the  reign  of  Ming-Ti.  This  prince 
ascended  the  throne  in  the  year  56  after  Jesus  Christ, 


THE  SYNAGOGUE  IN  CHINA. 


47 


and  did  not  die  until  the  yeai  y8.  These  dates  could 
not  better  agree  with  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem, 
which  took  place  in  the  year  70. 

The  settlement  of  Cai-fong-Fou  is  much  less  an- 
cient. We  have  the  date  of  this  in  the  second  in- 
scription, that  it  was  in  the  twentieth  year  of  the 
Cycle  65,  when  they  offered  their  tribute  of  the 
workmanship  of  India  to  the  Emperor  Hia-Tsong. 
All  these  characters  agree  with  the  year  1163  after 
Jesus  Christ,  and  the  first  of  the  reign  of  Hia-Tsong. 
Hoa-Tsong  had  resigned  the  government  to  him  in 
the  end  of  the  preceding  year.  He  could  not  have 
selected  a  prince  more  active,  more  capable  to  resist 
the  formidable  armies  of  the  Tartars,  and  to  push  for- 
ward the  conquests  which  the  Chinese  had  begun  to 
make  to  the  east  of  Cai-fong-Fou.  The  misfortunes 
of  this  synagogue  are  marked  in  their  inscriptions. 
In  1462  it  was  destroyed  by  the  waters  of  the 
Hoang-ho,  or  Yellow  River,  —  a  river  celebrated  for 
its  ravages,  and  which  commands  this  city.  Almost 
all  their  books  were  destroyed,  and  those  which 
remained  were  very  much  damaged  by  the  water. 
In  1642  the  city  was  besieged  by  the  Chinese  them- 
selves, who  had  revolted  against  their  legitimate 
prince  ;  but  it  made  so  brave  a  resistance  that  the 
cruel  Li-tsee-tching  was  twice  obliged  to  raise  the 
siege.  He  returned  a  third  time  to  blockade  it, 
and  to  force  it  to  surrender  through  famine.  The 
governor,  finding  himself  without  resources,  broke 
down  the  banks  of  the  river,  and  forced  the  enemy 
to  retire,   burying   himself   under   the   waters.     The 


48 


HISTORICAL  SCENES, 


If 


synagogue  again  perished,  and  it  destroyed  many 
books. 

Between  these  two  inundations  it  had  been  re- 
duced to  ashes  in  the  end  of  the  sixteenth  century, 
during  the  reign  of  the  Emperor  Van-Lie,  who  as- 
cended the  throne  in  1572.  The  books  perished  for 
the  second  time  in  this  disaster. 

Notwithstanding  so  great  calamities,  we  are  able 
to  obtain  from  these  Jews  valuable  light  on  the  sub- 
ject of  their  customs  and  books.  The  accordance  of 
their  Pentateuch  with  ours  gives  new  force  to  the 
proof  in  favor  of  our  religion,  which  we  have  been 
able  to  draw,  even  to  the  present  time,  with  so  much 
advantage.  The  missionaries  would  place  the  crown 
on  the  obligations  under  which  they  have  laid  us,  if 
they  should  be  able  to  procure  for  Europe  one  of  the 
Takings  of  the  Bethel,  or  at  least  a  book  exactly  col- 
lated with  the  most  ancient  of  their  manuscripts. 
The  Pentateuch  which  Father  Gaubil  has  seen,  in  the 
last  place,  requires  a  new  and  very  thorough  examina- 
tion. One  of  the  Takings,  placed  in.  the  presses, 
would  also  be  a  great  acquisition,  although  much  less 
curious  than  those  of  the  Bethel.  The  books  of  the 
Maccabees  would  be  very  useful,  and  have  a  hearty 
reception.  Even  the  fragments  of  our  own  canonical 
books  are  precious,  for  we  cannot  have  too  many  of 
them.  It  would  be  very  proper  to  make  some  new 
efforts  for  the  books  of  which  Father  Domenge  speaks, 
and  which  they  read  at  the  beginning  and  in  the  mid- 
dle of  the  great  and  the  small  months.  On  this  point 
we  are  not  able  to  procure  any  information  from  the 


m 


THE  SYNAGOGUE  IN  CHINA. 


49 


Jews  of  Europe,  who  have  not  these  customs.  It  is 
necessary,  then,  to  turn  to  those  of  China ;  and  we 
should  use  the  greatest  diligence,  as  it  is  too  much 
to  be  feared  that  this  synagogue,  now  so  feeble,  may 
end  by  uniting,  as  others  have  done,  with  the  Ma- 
hometan faith,  or  at  least  sink  into  an  ignorance  so 
great  as  to  place  it  beyond  our  power  to  instruct 
them. 


so 


HISTORICAL  SCENES, 


II. 


1!' 


MISSIONS   IN   LOWER   CALIFORNIA. 

1702. 

[The  following  letter  contains  an  account  of  the  only  footing 
which  the  Jesuits  obtained  on  the  Pacific  coast,  north  of  Mexico. 
It  was  among  the  wild  tribes  of  Lower  California.  We  fre- 
quently hear  references  to  "the  Jesuit  Missions  in  California," 
but  this  is  incorrect.  At  an  early  day  California  proper  was 
taken  possession  of  by  the  Franciscans,  who  obtained  grants  for 
nineteen  missions,  stretching  the  whole  length  of  the  country, 
f  hese  grants  were  sometimes  eleven  leagues  in  extent ;  and  it 
is  from  these  missionaries  that  San  Francisco  received  the  name 
of  their  patron  saint.  The  Jesuits  did  not  enter  California  until 
the  annexation  of  the  country  by  the  Americans. 

With  this  letter  is  published  a  map  of  the  Peninsula  of  Lower 
California,  and  part  of  Mexico  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  Gulf, 
executed  in  1702.  It  is  surprising  how  accurately  it  is  drawn  ; 
and  we  read  on  it  names  which  are  even  now  familiar  to  us,  — 
Sonora,  Rio  Colorado,  Yumas,  Apaches,  Moqi  ",  Tucsani,  Guai- 
mas,  &c.] 

Memoir,  with  regard  to  the  condition  of  the  Missions  lately 
established  in  California^  by  the  Fathers  of  the  Society  of 
yesus  ;  presented  to  the  Royal  Council  of  Guadalaxara^  in 
Mexico,  the  tenth  day  of  February,  in  the  year  1702,  by 
Father  Franfois  Marie  Ficolo,  of  the  same  Society,  and  one 
of  the  original  founders  of  this  Mission. 

Reverend  Fathers,  —  It  is  in  obedience  to  the 
orders  which  you  did  me  the  honor  to  give,  some  days 
since,  that  I  undertake  to  render  an  exact  and  faithful 


Af/SS/OJVS  IN  LOWER  CALIFORNIA, 


51 


account  of  the  discoveries  we  have  made  and  the 
establishments  we  have  formed,  —  the  Father  Jean- 
Marie  de  Salvatierra  and  myself,  —  in  California,  dur- 
ing the  five  years  that  we  have  been  in  that  vast 
country. 

It  was  in  the  month  of  October  of  the  year  1697 
that  we  embarked,  and  crossed  the  sea  which  separates 
California  from  New  Mexico,  under  the  auspices  and 
protection  of  our  Lady  of  Loretto,  whose  image  we 
carried  with  us.  This  "Star  of  the  Sea"  conducted 
us  safely  to  the  port,  with  all  the  people  who  accom- 
panied us.  As  soon  as  we  had  placed  our  feet  o-n 
land,  we  set  up  the  image  of  the  Holy  Virgin  in  the 
most  appropriate  place  we  could  find  ;  and,  after  hav- 
ing adorned  it  as  much  as  our  poverty  allowed,  we 
offered  our  prayers  to  this  powerful  advocate,  to  be  as 
favorable  to  us  on  the  land  as  she  had  been  upon 
the  sea. 

But  the  devil,  whom  our  coming  disturbed  in  the 
peaceful  possession  he  had  enjoyed  for  so  many  ages, 
made  every  effort  to  defeat  our  enterprise  and  prevent 
our  success.  The  people  among  whom  we  had  landed 
were  not  acquainted  with  our  language  ;  and,  having 
no  one  among  us  who  could  understand  theirs,  we 
could  not  inform  them  of  our  object,  to  relieve  them 
from  the  deep  darkness  of  idolatry  in  which  they  were 
involved,  and  to  labor  for  their  eternal  salvation.  They 
imagined,  therefore,  that  we  had  come  into  their  coun- 
try to  trespass  on  their  pearl-fisheries,  as  others  had 
attempted,  more  than  once,  in  times  past.  With  this 
idea,  they  took  up  arms,  and  gathered  in  crowds  about 


SSBI 


li 


I 


11 


52 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


our  habitation,  where  we  had  then  but  a  very  small 
number  of  Spaniards.  They  attacked  us  with  so  much 
violence,  and  the  multitude  of  arrows  and  stones  they 
discharged  were  so  great,  that  we  should  certainly  have 
suffered,  had  not  the  Holy  Virgin,  who  was  to  us  in 
the  place  of  an  army  arrayed  for  battle,  protected  us. 
The  people  who  were  with  us,  aided  by  this  succor 
from  on  high,  firmly  received  the  attack,  and  repulsed 
the  enemy  with  so  much  success  that  in  a  short  time 
they  took  to  flight. 

The  Indians,  having  been  rendered  more  tractable 
by  their  defeat,  and  seeing,  besides,  that  they  could 
gain  nothing  by  force,  sent  some  of  their  number  to 
confer  with  us.  We  received  them  in  a  friendly  way  ; 
and,  in  a  short  time,  acquired  sufficient  knowledge  of 
their  language  to  make  them  comprehend  our  object 
in  coming  to  their  country.  These  deputies  disabused 
their  countrymen  of  the  error  under  which  they  had 
labored  ;  so  that,  persuaded  of  our  good  intentions, 
they  came  back  to  seek  us  in  great  numbers,  and  all 
showed  their  joy  on  learning  our  strong  desire  to 
instruct  them  in  our  holy  religion,  and  to  show  them 
the  way  to  heaven.  This  happy  disposition  animated 
us  to  learn  thoroughly  the  Monqui  language,  which 
they  speak  in  this  country. 

The  next  two  years  were  spent  partly  in  study  and 
partly  in  catechising  the  people.  Father  de  Salva- 
tierra  charged  himself  with  the  instruction  of  the 
adults,  and  I  of  the  children.  The  diligence  of  the 
young  people  in  coming  to  hear  us  speak  of  God,  and 
their  application  in  learning  the  Christian  doctrine, 


I 


MISSIONS  IN  LOWER  CALIFORNIA. 


53 


ry  small 
so  much 
nes  they 
nly  have 
to  us  in 
;cted  us. 
5  succor 
repulsed 
Lort  time 

tractable 
ey  could 
imber  to 
dly  way ; 
dedge  of 
r  object 
isabused 
they  had 
tentions, 
,  and  all 
lesire  to 
ow  them 
mimated 
e,  which 

iudy  and 
Salva- 

1  of  the 
of  the 
od,  and 

doctrine, 


were  so  great  that  in  a  sho^t  time  we  found  them  per- 
fectly instructed.  Very  many  begged  of  me  to  ad- 
minister to  them  holy  baptism,  and  with  so  many 
tears  and  such  earnest  entreaties  that  I  was  not  able 
to  refuse  them.  Some  sick  persons  and  some  old 
people,  who  we  thought  were  sufficiently  instructed, 
also  received  that  rite,  in  the  fear  that,  if  delayed,  they 
might  die  unbaptized.  And  we  had  reason  to  believe, 
with  regard  to  many  of  them,  that  Providence  had 
prolonged  their  days  to  preserve  them  for  this  moment 
of  salvation.  There  were  also  about  fifty  infants  at 
the  breast,  who,  from  the  arms  of  their  mothers, 
winged  their  flight  to  heaven,  after  having  been  re- 
generated in  Jesus  Christ. 

After  having  thus  labored  for  the  instruction  of 
these  people,  we  earnestly  desired  to  discover  others 
to  whom  we  could  render  ourselves  equally  useful. 
To  gather  in  a  greater  harvest.  Father  de  Salvatierra 
and  I  were  willing  to  separate,  a?.d  thus  deprive  our- 
selves of  the  satisfaction  we  had  enjoyed  of  living  and 
laboring  together.  He  therefore  took  the  route  to 
the  north,  and  I  that  through  the  middle  and  west. 
We  both  received  great  consolation  from  following 
this  Apostolic  example  ;  for,  as  we  were  well  ac- 
quainted with  the  language,  and  the  Indians  placed 
entire  confidence  in  us,  they  themselves  invited  us 
to  enter  their  villages,  a^id  it  gave  them  pleasure  to 
receive  us  there,  and  to  bring  their  children  to  us. 
After  instructing  those  with  whom  we  first  met,  we 
went  on  in  search  of  others,  to  whom  in  succession 
we  unfolded  the  mysteries  of  our  faith.     It  was  in  this 


E^ 


54 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


way  that  Father  de  Salvatierra  discovered  all  the  set- 
tlements which  now  compose  the  Mission  of  Loretto- 
Concho,  and  that  of  Saint  Jean  de  Londo  ;  while  I 
became  acquainted  with  all  the  country  which  at  pres- 
ent is  called  the  Mission  of  Saint  Fran9ois  Xavier  de 
Biaundo,  extending  to  the  sea  at  the  couth. 

In  thus  going  forward,  each  on  his  own  side,  we 
found  that  many  tribes  of  different  languages  were 
mingled  together,  some  speaking  the  Monqui  tongue, 
which  we  knew,  and  others  the  Laymone  language, 
which  we  had  not  yet  acquired.  This  rendered  it 
necessary  for  us  to  learn  the  Laymone,  which  is  much 
more  widely  extended  than  the  Monqui,  and  which 
prepared  us  for  travelling  through  all  this  great  coun- 
try. We  therefore  applied  ourselves  so  sedulously  to 
the  study  of  this  second  language  that  we  acquired  it 
in  a  short  time,  and  then  commenced  preaching  with 
the  same  readiness,  sometimes  in  the  Laymone  and 
sometimes  in  the  Monqui.  God  has  blessed  our  la- 
bors ;  for  we  have  already  baptized  more  than  a 
thousand  children,  all  well  disposed,  and  so  eager  to 
receive  this  grace  that  we  were  not  able  to  resist  their 
earnest  prayers.  More  than  three  thousand  adults, 
equally  well  instructed,  desired  and  implored  the  same 
blessing  ;  but  we  deemed  it  proper  to  postpone  it,  to 
give  time  to  prove  our  converts,  and  strengthen  them 
more  in  this  holy  resolution.  For,  as  these  people 
have  lived  for  a  long  time  in  idolatry,  and  in  entire 
subjection  to  their  false  priests,  and  as,  besides,  they 
are  naturally  of  a  light  and  fickle  disposition,  we 
feared,  if  they  were  precipitate,  they  might  afterward 


MISSIONS  IN  LOWER  CALIFORNIA. 


55 


fall  away,  or  that,  having  become  Christians  without 
fulfilling  their  duties,  they  might  expose  our  holy  faith 
to  the  contempt  of  the  idolaters.  For  this  reason  they 
are  content  to  be  numbered  with  the  catechumens. 
On  Saturday  and  Sunday  of  each  week  they  come  to 
the  church,  and  unite  with  the  children,  already  bap- 
tized, in  the  instructions  which  they  receive  there  ; 
and  we  have  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  a  large  number 
who  persev-ere  with  fidelity  in  the  resolution  they 
have  made  of  becoming  true  disciples  of  Jesus 
Christ. 

Since  our  second  discoveries,  we  have  divided  all 
this  country  into  four  missions.  The  first  is  that  of 
Concho,  or  of  our  Lady  of  Loretto  ;  the  second  is 
that  of  Biaundo,  or  of  Saint  Francois  Xavier  ;  the 
third,  that  of  Yodivinegg^,  or  of  our  Lady  of  Sor- 
rows ;  and  the  fourth,  which  is  not  yet  as  well  estab- 
lished and  founded  as  the  other  three,  is  that  of  Saint 
Jean  de  Londo.  Each  mission  comprises  many  set- 
tlements. 

We  have  built  a  chapel  for  the  second  mission  ;  but, 
as  it  has  already  been  found  to  be  too  small,  we  have 
begun  to  erect  a  large  church,  the  walls  of  which  will 
be  of  brick  and  the  roof  of  wood.  The  garden  which 
belongs  to  the  residence  of  the  missionary  furnishes 
already  all  kinds  of  herbs  and  vegetables  ;  while  the 
Mexican  trees  we  have  planted  are  succeeding  so  well 
that  in  a  short  time  they  will  be  loaded  with  excellent 
fruits.  The  Bachelor  Dom  Juan  Cavallero  Scio,  com- 
missary of  the  Inquisition,  and  of  this  missionary 
crusade,  of  whom  one  scarcely  knows  which  to  praise 


56 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


n 


most,  his  zeal  or  piety,  has  founded  these  first  two 
missions,  and  has  been  the  principal  promoter  of  all 
this  great  enterprise. 

As  it  respects  the  Mission  of  our  Lady  of  Sorrows, 
it  only  comprises  Unubb6,  which  is  on  the  northern 
side,  Niumqui,  or  Saint  Joseph,  and  Yodivinegg^,  or 
our  Lady  of  Sorrows,  which  gives  the  name  to  the 
whole  mission.  Niumqui  and  Yodivinegg^  are  two 
very  populous  settlements,  quite  near  each  other.  The 
Brethren  of  the  Congregation  of  Saint  Peter  and  Saint 
Paul  of  our  Society,  formed  in  the  city  of  Mexico,  under 
the  title  of  the  "  Sorrows  of  the  Holy  Virgin,"  and 
composed  ct  the  principal  nobility  of  that  great  city, 
have  founaed  this  mission,  and  shown,  on  all  occasions, 
a  great  aid  or  for  the  promotion  of  the  faith,  and  for 
the  conversion  of  these  poor  heathen. 

To  conclude,  the  Mission  of  Saint  Jean  de  Londo 
contains  five  or  six  villages.  The  principal  are  Tcup- 
non,  or  Saint  Bruno,  within  three  leagues  of  the  coast 
at  the  east  ;  Anchu,  at  an  equal  distance  from  the 
coast  at  the  north  ;  Tamouqui,  which  is  at  four  leagues, 
and  Diutro,  at  six  leagues  distance,  looking  toward  the 
west.  Father  de  Salvatierra,  who  burns  with  an  ardent 
zeal  to  extend  the  kingdom  of  God,  cultivates  these 
two  last  missions  with  indefatigable  care.  I  have  left 
with  him  Father  Jean  d'Ugarte,  who,  after  having 
rendered  essential  services  to  the  missions  in  Mexico, 
wished  at  length  to  devote  himself  in  person,  for  one 
year,  to  this  work.  He  has  made  in  a  short  time  such 
great  progress  that,  besides  being  able  to  preach  per- 
fectly in  the  two  languages  I  have  mentioned,  he  has 


MISSIONS  IN  LOWER  CALIFORNIA. 


S7 


discovered  on  the  southern  side  two  villages,  —  Trip- 
pu6  and  Loppu,  —  where  he  has  baptized  twenty-three 
children,  and  has  applied  himself  without  intermission 
to  the  instruction  of  the  others  and  of  the  adults. 

Having  thus  given  an  account.  Reverend  Fathers, 
of  the  state  of  religion  in  this  new  colony,  I  will  now 
endeavor  to  answer,  as  far  as  I  am  able,  the  other 
points  on  which  you  did  me  the  honor  to  inquire.  I 
will  tell  you,  first,  what  we  have  been  able-  to  remark 
of  the  customs  and  disposition  of  these  people,  and 
the  productions  of  the  country.  California  is  very 
correctly  placed  on  our  ordinary  maps.  During  the 
summer  the  heat  is  great  along  the  coast,  and  it  rarely 
rains  ;  but  in  the  interior  the  climate  is  more  mild, 
and  the  heat  never  excessive  There  is  the  same  rela- 
tive difference  in  winter.  In  the  rainy  season  there 
is  a  deluge  of  water  ;  but  when  it  is  over,  in  place  of 
the  rain,  the  dew  is  found  so  abundantly  every  morn- 
ing that  one  v;ould  suppose  it  liad  rained,  and  this 
renders  the  earth  very  fertile.  In  the  months  of  April, 
May,  and  June,  a  kind  of  manna  falls  with  the  dew, 
which  congeals  and  hardens  on  the  leaves  of  the  reeds, 
from  which  it  is  gathered.  I  have  tasted  it.  It  is  a 
little  darker  than  sugar,  but  has  all  its  sweetness. 

The  climate  is  healthy,  if  we  can  judge  by  our  own 
experience  and  that  of  those  who  were  with  us.  For, 
during  the  five  years  we  passed  in  that  country,  we 
were  always  well,  notwithstanding  the  great  fatigues 
we  endured  ;  and  among  the  other  Spaniards  there 
occurred  the  deaths  of  but  two  persons,  one  of  whom 
brought  her  illness  on  herself.  It  was  the  case  of  a 
3* 


58 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


female,  who  had  the  imprudence  to  bathe  when  on  the 
eve  of  her  confinement. 

There  are  in  California,  as  in  all  the  fairest  coun- 
tries of  the  world,  wide  plains,  beautiful  valleys,  and 
grounds  affording  at  all  times  excellent  pasture  for 
great  and  small  cattle.  Springs  of  living  waters  abound, 
while  the  banks  of  the  streams  and  rivers  are  covered 
with  willows,  reeds,  and  wild  vines.  The  rivers  are 
full  of  fish,  and  there  are  found  also  plenty  of  crabs, 
which  are  transported  to  a  kind  of  reservoir,  where 
they  are  kept  till  needed.  I  have  seen  three  of  these 
reservoirs,  very  fine  and  large.  They  have  also  plenty 
of  xicames,  which  are  of  better  flavor  than  those  which 
they  eat  through  all  Mexico.  We  can  say,  therefore, 
that  California  is  a  very  fertile  country.  They  find  in 
the  mountains  the  mescales  ^  during  the  whole  year, 
and  at  almost  all  seasons  \cixgQ  pistachio  nuts  of  differ- 
ent kinds,  and  figs  of  various  colors.  The  trees  are 
very  beautiful,  and  among  others  those  which  the 
Chinos,  who  are  natives  of  the  country,  cdW  palo  satiio. 
It  bears  abundance  of  fruit,  from  which  we  procure 
excellent  frankincense. 

If  the  country  is  abounding  in  fruits,  it  is  equally 
so  in  grains.  There  are  four  kinds  which  are  used  by 
the  people  for  food.  They  use,  also,  the  roots  of  trees 
and  of  plants,  and  among  others  that  of  the  yuca,  out 
of  which  they  make  a  kind  of  bread.  They  have  also 
excellent  chevis^  which  is  much  used  for  food,  and 

1  This  is  a  fruit  indigenous  to  tlie  country. 

'■*  The  chevis  is  a  soup-herb,  the  root  of  which  is  like  a  turnip,  of  an 
excellent  flavor,  sweet,  pleasant,  and  good  for  food. 


MISSIONS  IN  LOWER  CALIFORNIA. 


59 


pumpkins  and  watermelons  of  an  extraordinary  size. 
The  country  is  so  fertile  that  it  is  not  uncommon  for 
many  plants  to  bear  fruit  three  times  a  year.  This, 
with  the  labor  they  bestow  on  the  cultivation  of  the 
earth,  and  some  little  skill  they  have  in  irrigation,  ren- 
ders all  the  land  extremely  productive,  and  every  kind 
of  fruit  and  grain  can  be  cultivated  there  in  great 
abundance.  We  have  ourselves  proved  this  ;  for,  hav- 
ing bought  from  New  Spain  wheat,  maize,  pease,  and 
lentils,  we  have  sown  them,  and  raised  an  abundant 
harvest,  although  we  had  not  proper  instruments  for 
turning  up  the  earth,  and  had  only  the  assistance  in 
our  labors  of  an  old  mule  and  a  miserable  plow. 

Besides  many  species  of  animals  with  which  we 
are  acquainted,  which  are  good  for  food,  and  are  found 
there  in  great  numbers,  —  such  as  stags,  hares,  rab- 
bits, and  others,  —  there  are  two  species  of  fallow- 
deer,  with  which  we  had  never  previously  met.  Wc 
have  called  them  sheep,  because  they  are  somewhat 
of  the  same  shape  as  our  sheep.  The  first  species  is 
of  the  size  of  a  calf  of  one  or  two  years  of  age,  the 
head  more  resembling  that  of  a  stag,  while  the  horns, 
which  are  exceedingly  large,  are  like  those  of  a  ram. 
It  has  a  tail ;  and  the  hair,  which  is  spotted,  is  shorter 
than  that  of  the  stag  ;  while  the  hoof  is  large,  round, 
and  cloven,  like  that  of  the  oz.  I  have  eaten  of  these 
animals,  and  found  their  ilesh  good  and  very  delicate. 

The  other  kind  of  sheep,  some  of  which  are  white 
and  some  black,  differ  less  from  ours.  They  are  larger, 
and  have  more  wool ;  it  is  easily  spun,  and  can  be  used 
in  work.     The  other  animals,  besides  those  which  are 


6o 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


good  for  food,  are  lions,  wildcats,  and  many  others  like 
the  different  varieties  which  are  found  in  New  Spain. 
We  have  carried  into  California  some  cows,  and  a 
quantity  of  smaller  cattle,  as  sheep  and  goats,  which 
would  have  multiplied  very  much,  had  not  the  extreme 
want  to  which  we  were  reduced  at  different  times 
obliged  us  to  kill  many  of  tiiem.  We  have  also  taken 
there  some  horses  and  young  mares  to  stock  the 
country.  We  had  commenced  raising  hogs  ;  but  as 
these  animals  are  very  destructive  in  the  villages,  and 
the  women  of  the  country  are  afraid  of  them,  we  have 
resolved  to  exterminate  them. 

As  to  birds,  all  those  of  Mexico,  and  almost  all 
those  of  Spain,  are  found  in  California.  There  are 
pigeons,  turtle-doves,  larks,  partridges  of  an  excellent 
flavor  and  in  great  numbers,  geese,  ducks,  and  many 
other  kinds  of  river  and  sea  birds. 

The  sea  is  filled  with  fish,  which  are  of  a  fine  flavor. 
They  fish  for  sardines,  anchovies,  and  tunny-fish,  which 
can  be  taken  by  the  hand  on  the  borders  of  the  sea. 
Whales  are  often  seen  there,  and  different  kinds  of 
turtles.  Quantities  of  shell-fish  abound  in  the  rivers, 
much  larger  than  those  which  contain  the  mother-of- 
pearl. 

They  are  not  dependent  on  the  sea  for  salt ;  for 
there  are  salt-springs,  the  salt  of  which  is  white  and 
clear  as  crystal,  but  at  the  same  time  so  hard  that  it 
is  found  necessary  to  break  it  with  heavy  blows  of  a 
hammer.  It  would  have  a  ready  sale  in  New  Spain, 
where  salt  is  so  scarce. 

During  nearly  two  centuries   that   California  has 


MISSIONS  IN  LOWER  CALIFORNIA. 


6l 


been  known,  the  coast  has  been  celebrated  for  its 
pearl-fisheries,  which  have  rendered  it  an  object  of  the 
most  earnest  desire  to  Europeans,  who  have  often 
made  enterprises  to  establish  themselves  there.  It  is 
certain  that,  if  the  king  would  defray  the  expenses  of 
this  fishery,  he  would  receive  in  return  great  wealth. 
Neither  have  I  more  doubt  that  mines  could  be  found 
in  many  places,  if  they  were  sought  for,  since  this 
country  is  under  the  same  climate  as  Cinaloa  and 
Sonora,  which  abound  in  this   kind  of  riches. 

Although  Heaven  has  been  so  liberal  to  the  inhabi- 
tants of  California,  and  the  earth  produces  spontane- 
ously all  that  in  other  places  can  only  be  gained  by 
great  toil  and  labor,  there  is  yet  no  instance  of  their 
accumulating  the  wealth  of  the  country.  Content  to 
obtain  what  is  necessary  for  the  support  of  life,  they 
give  themselves  little  care  for  any  thing  beyond  it. 
The  country  is  thickly  inhabited  in  the  interior  and 
along  the  northern  coast ;  and,  although  there  are 
scarcely  any  settlements  but  contain  twenty,  thirty, 
forty,  or  fifty  families,  yet  they  have  no  dwellings. 
The  shade  of  the  trees  defends  them  from  the  heat  of 
the  sun  during  the  day,  and  they  construct  from  the 
branches  and  foliage  a  kind  of  roof  to  protect  them 
frpm  unpleasant  weather  in  the  night.  During  the 
winter  they  shut  themselves  up  in  caves,  which  are 
hollowed  out  in  the  ground  ;  and  there  they  remain, 
many  together,  differing  but  little  from  the  beasts. 
The  men  are  entirely  naked,  at  least  those  whom  we 
have  seen.  They  bind  around  their  heads  a  band  of 
very  delicate  workmanship,  or  a  kind  of  network  ;  and 


62 


HISTORICAL  SCENES, 


I 


they  carry  around  their  necks,  and  sometimes  in  their 
hands,  for  ornament,  different  figures  of  mother-of- 
pearl,  equally  well  executed,  and  with  much  taste 
mingled  with  small  berries,  somex.nat  as  we  do  the 
beads  of  a  rosary.  Their  arms  are  the  bow  and  ar- 
rows and  the  spear  ;  but  these  they  always  carry  in 
their  hands,  sometimes  for  the  chase  and  sometimes 
for  defence  against  their  enemies  ;  for  the  inhabitants 
of  the  different  villages  are  almost  always  at  war  with 
each  other. 

The  women  are  clothed  a  little  more  modestly, 
wearing,  from  the  waist  to  the  knees,  a  kind  of  apron 
woven  of  reeds,  like  a  very  fine  mat.  They  cover 
their  shoulders  with  the  skins  of  beasts,  and  have 
upon  their  heads,  like  the  men,  a  very  delicate  net- 
work. These  nets  are  so  convenient  that  our  soldiers 
use  them  to  fasten  their  hair.  They  have  also,  like 
the  men,  collars  of  mother-of-pearl,  mingled  with  the 
stones  of  fruits  and  shells,  hanging  as  low  as  their 
belts,  and  bracelets  of  the  same  materials  as  the 
collars. 

The  usual  employment  of  both  men  and  women  is 
spinning.  The  thread  is  formed  from  fibrous  herbs, 
which  supply  to  them  the  place  of  linen  or  hemp ;  or 
from  stringy  substances,  which  they  find  in  the  riijd 
of  certain  fruits.  Of  the  fine  thread  they  make  the 
ornaments  we  have  already  mentioned,  and  of  the 
coarse  kind  they  manufacture  bags  for  different  pur- 
poses, and  nets  for  fishing.  Besides  this,  the  men, 
with  different  kinds  of  herbs,  the  fibres  of  which  are 
very  close,  and  which  they  have  great  skill  in  using, 


MISSIONS  IN  LOUDER  CALIFORNIA. 


63 


make  a  kind  of  dish  and  kitchen  utensils,  very  novel, 
and  of  all  sizes.  The  smallest  pieces  serve  for  cups, 
the  medium  size  for  plates  and  dishes,  and  sometimes 
for  parasols,  with  which  the  women  cover  their  heads  ; 
the  largest  are  used  as  baskets  to  gather  their  fruits, 
and  sometimes  as  pots  and  basins  in  which  to  cook 
them.  But  they  take  the  precaution,  while  these  ves- 
sels are  over  the  fire,  to  keep  them  constantly  moving, 
for  fear  the  flames  should  touch  them,  in  which  case 
they  would  be  immediately  burned. 

The  Californians  are  full  of  vivacity,  and  have  a 
natural  talent  for  raillery.  Of  the  latter  they  gave  us 
proofs  when  we  commenced  instructing  them  ;  for,  as 
soon  as  we  made  any  mistake  in  their  language,  they 
began  at  once  to  banter  and  mock  us.  After  they 
had  held  more  communication  with  us,  they  contented 
themselves  with  honestly  pointing  out  the  errors  which 
had  escaped  us.  And  as  to  the  meaning  of  a  doctrine, 
when  the  time  came  for  us  to  ey^lrn  the  mysteries  of 
our  faith,  or  certain  points  of  morality  which  were  at 
variance  with  their  prejudices  or  ancient  errors,  they 
waited  for  the  preacher  after  the  sermon,  and  disputed 
with  him  with  both  power  and  wit.  If  he  advanced  for- 
cible arguments,  they  listened  with  docility  ;  and,  if  he 
was  able  to  convince  them,  they  submitted,  and  followed 
the  instructions  prescribed  them.  We  have  not  found 
among  them  any  form  of  government,  and  scarcely 
any  of  religion  or  of  religious  worship.  They  offer 
prayers  to  the  moon  ;  and  cut  off  their  hair,  which 
they  give  to  their  priests,  who  use  it  in  different  rites 
of  superstition.      Each  family  makes   its  own  laws. 


f 


64 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


( 


according  to  its  taste  ;  and  it  is  this,  apparently, 
which  causes  them  so  often  to  be  engaged  in  con- 
flicts with  each  other. 

Finally,  I  will  satisfy  you  on  the  last  point  which 
you  did  nie  the  honor  to  propose  to  me,  and  which 
seems  to  me  the  most  important  of  all.  It  is  with 
regard  to  the  best  way  of  extending  and  strengthen- 
ing, more  and  more,  the  true  faith  in  California,  and 
maintaining  with  these  people  a  commerce,  permanent 
and  useful,  for  the  glory  and  interest  of  the  nation. 
On  these  points  I  will  speak  as  I  think,  and  as  the 
information  I  have  been  able  to  gain  of  the  country 
and  the  genius  of  its  people  leads  me  to  believe. 

First,  it  will  be  absolutely  necessary  to  make  two 
shipments  every  year.  The  largest  will  be  for  New 
Spain,  with  which  a  commerce  can  be  maintained  very 
profitable  to  the  two  nations  ;  the  other  will  be  for  the 
provinces  of  Cinaloa  and  Sonora,  and  by  this  means 
we  shall  be  able  to  bring  in  new  missionaries,  and  to 
furnish  each  year  what  is  necessary  for  the  support  of 
those  who  are  already  there.  The  vessels  used  for 
these  shipments  can  easily,  between  their  voyages,  be 
sent  to  the  northern  coast  for  new  discoveries  ;  and 
the  expense  will  be  less  if  we  employ  the  same  officers 
and  sailors  whom  we  have  hitherto  used  here  ;  be- 
cause,  living  according  to  the  customs  of  the  country, 
their  piuvisions  cost  them  almost  nothing,  and,  being 
^"  ^      nntod  with  the  seas  and  coasts  of  California, 

.avigate  them  with  more  speed  and  security. 
er  important  point  is  with  regard  to  the 
('-lencc  and  support  of  so  many  native-born  Spaniards 


MISSIONS  IN  LOWER  CALIFORNIA. 


65 


who  are  now  hero,  and  of  the  missionaries  who  will 
come  out  with  us  and  after  us.  As  to  the  missionaries, 
since  my  arrival  I  have  learned,  with  much  gratitude 
and  consolation,  that  our  King  Philip  V.  (whom  may 
God  preserve  for  many  years)  has  already  provided  for 
them  by  his  liberality,  so  truly  pious  and  royal,  having 
assigned  to  this  mission  a  stipend  of  six  thousand 
crowns  a  year,  in  consequence  of  what  he  had  learned 
of  the  progress  of  the  faith  in  this  new  colony.  With 
this  we  can  support  a  large  number  of  laborers,  who 
will  undoubtedly  come  to  our  aid. 

For  the  security  of  the  Spaniards  who  are  there, 
the  fort  we  have  already  built  will  serve  in  case  of 
need.  It  is  situated  in  the  quarter  of  St.  Denis,  in  the 
place  called  Concho  by  the  Indians,  but  to  which  we 
had  given  the  name  of  our  Lady  of  Loretto,  and  estab- 
lished there  our  first  mission.  It  has  four  small  bas- 
tions, and  is  surrounded  by  a  good  moat.  We  have 
made  a  parade-ground,  and  built  barracks  for  the  ac- 
commodation of  the  soldiers.  The  chapel  of  the  Holy 
Virgin  and  the  residence  of  the  missionaries  are  near 
the  fort.  The  walls  of  these  buildings  are  of  brick, 
and  the  roofs  of  wood.  I  left  in  the  fort  eighteen  sol- 
diers, with  their  officers,  two  of  whom  are  married  and 
have  families,  which  will  keep  them  more  easily  in  this 
country.  They  had  with  them  for  servants  eight 
Chinos  Indians  and  negroes,  and  twelve  sailors  for 
the  two  little  vessels,  "  Saint  Xavier  "  and  "  Rosary," 
without  counting  twelve  other  sailors  whom  I  have 
taken  with  me  in  the  "  Saint  Joseph."  We  have  been 
obliged  to  send  back  some  soldiers,  because,  at  first, 


66 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


If 


we  had  not  enough  to  feed  and  support  them  ;  and 
yet  you  see  that  this  garrison  is  not  sufficiently  strong 
to  defend  our  countrymen  for  any  length  of  time,  should 
the  Indians  determine  to  make  a  disturbance.  It  is 
necessary,  then,  to  establish  there  a  post,  like  that  at 
New  Biscay,  and  to  place  in  one  spot  a  force  which 
shall  have  strength  enough  to  act  efficiently  when 
necessary.  This  alone,  without  any  violence,  will  be 
sufficient  to  keep  the  country  quiet,  as  it  hitherto  has 
been,  —  thanks  be  to  God  !  —  notwithstanding  any 
mistakes  we  may  have  made. 

The  other  matters  might  appear  less  important,  but 
they  are  not  really  so,  when  examined  more  closely. 

First,  it  would  be  proper  to  bestow  some  recom- 
pense on  the  soldiers  who  first  came  out  to  the  colony. 
The  good  success  with  which  we  have  hitherto  met  is 
owing  in  part  to  their  courage  ;  and  the  hooe  of  a 
similar  distinction  will  influence  others,  and  incite 
them  to  imitate  the  valor  and  wisdom  of  these  pio- 
neers. 

Secondly,  it  is  necessary  so  to  arrange  matters  that 
some  families  of  gentlemen  and  officers  should  come 
out  to  establish  themselves  here,  to  be  able,  by  them- 
selves and  their  children,  to  fill  the  different  offices  as 
soon  as  they  become  vacant. 

Thirdly,  it  is  of  the  last  importance  that  the  mis- 
sionaries, and  those  who  command  in  California, 
should  always  live  in  the  most  entir'.t  union.  This 
has  been  the  case  to  the  present  time,  through  the 
wise  conduct  and  the  judicious  use  which  the  Count 
de  Montezuma,  Viceroy  oi  New  Spain,  has  made  of 


MISSIONS  IN  LOWER  CALIFORNIA. 


67 


the  intelligence  he  received  from  us.  But,  as  the  mis- 
sionaries are  entirely  occupied  with  the  work  of  their 
ministry,  it  is  necessary  that  they  should  be  freed 
from  the  care  of  the  troops,  and  that  the  royal  treas- 
ury of  Guadalaxara  should  furnish  them  with  all  that 
is  necessary.  It  is  much  to  be  wished  that  the  king 
himself  should  appoint  some  person  of  authority  and 
credit,  with  the  title  of  intendant  or  commissary-gen- 
eral, who  would  be  willing,  from  his  zeal  and  for  the 
single  object  of  contributing  to  the  conversion  of  this 
country,  to  take  upon  himself  the  payment  to  each  one 
of  what  shall  be  assigned  him  by  the  court,  and  to 
attend  to  the  interests  of  the  colonies.  In  this  way 
all  may  be  able  to  apply  themselves  without  distrac- 
tion to  their  own  peculiar  duties  ;  and  ambition  and 
interest  will  not,  as  often  has  happened,  in  a  single 
moment  ruin  a  work  which  has  been  established  at  so 
great  an  expense  of  time  and  labor  and  danger. 

You  have  thus,  Reverend  Fathers,  as  it  seems  to 
me,  every  point  on  which  you  wished  me  to  write  you. 
It  rests  with  your  wisdom  and  judgment  to  decide 
how  much  it  is  well  to  make  known  to  the  king  our 
master.  It  will  be  doubtless  a  great  comfort  to  him 
to  learn  that,  on  his  coming  to  the  crown,  God  had 
opened  to  him  so  noble  a  career  for  his  zeal.  I  had 
come  here  seeking  the  aid  without  which  it  will  be 
impossible  to  preserve  what  we  have  already  accom- 
plished, or  to  advance  much  further  this  work  of  God. 
But  the  liberality  of  the  prince  has  anticipated  and  far 
surpassed  our  demands.  May  the  Lord  protect  his 
kingdom,  so  that  it  shall  be  the  kingdom  of  God  ;  and 


68 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


may  he  bestow  on  you,  Reverend  Fathers,  a  blessing 
equal  to  your  zeal  to  promote  the  establishment  of  the 
faith  in  this  vast  country,  which  to  the  present  time 
seems  to  have  been  entirely  neglected. 

At  GuADALAXARA,  the  iQth  day  of  February,  in  the  year  1702. 


.!:     '\ 


CAPE  HORN  IN  1704. 


69 


III. 

CAPE   HORN    IN    1704. 

[In  the  year  1703,  a  company  of  the  Jesuit  Fathers  left  France, 
to  double  Cape  Horn  on  their  way  to  China  to  join  the  mission 
in  that  country.  After  passing  the  cape,  they  sailed  along  the 
western  coast  of  South  America,  until  they  reached  Lima.  Here 
the  Father  writes  his  letter  to  the  authorities  of  his  Order  at  home. 
It  is  accompanied  by  a  map  of  the  southern  extremity  of  South 
America.  We  have  translated  it,  because  so  many  of  our  own 
countrymen  have  made  the  same  voyage  that  it  may  interest 
them  to  read  an  account  of  the  manner  in  which  it  was  done  one 
hundred  and  seventy  years  ago.] 

Letter  of  Father  Nyel,  Missionary  of  the  Society  of 
y^esus,  to  the  Reverend  Father  de  la  Chaise,  of  the  same 
Society,  Confessor  of  the  King. 

At  Lima,  the  capital  city  of  Pern^  the  20th  day  of  May,  1705. 

My  Most  Reverend  Father,  —  The  protection 
with  which  you  have  honored  all  the  missionaries  of 
our  society,  and  the  zeal  with  which  you  have  aided 
the  progress  of  the  faith  in  the  most  distant  regions, 
place  us  under  obligations  to  express  to  you  our  grati- 
tude. It  is  to  fulfil  thi.s  duty,  and  to  give  you  an 
account  of  our  voyage  to  China,  of  which  we  have  so 
far  accomplished  but  a  small  portion,  that  I  now  take 
the  liberty  of  writing  you.  As  the  war  going  on  at 
that  time  between  the  English  and  Dutch  had  closed 


W  ' 


70 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


against  us  the  passage  of  the  Straits  of  Sonde  and 
Malaque,^  through  one  or  the  other  of  which  it  would 
be  necessary  for  us  to  sail,  if  we  took  the  route  of  the 
Indies  by  the  East,  we  deemed  it  proper,  in  order  to 
avoid  this  danger,  to  go  by  way  of  the  Strait  of  Ma- 
gellan and  the  Southern  Ocean. 

It  was  in  the  year  1 703  that  we  left  Saint  Malo,  — 
the  Fathers  de  Brasles,  de  Rives,  Hebrard,  and  myself, 
—  in  two  ships,  the  "  Saint  Charles  "  and  the  "  Muri- 
net,"  bound  for  China,  and  commanded  by  Messrs.  du 
Coudray-Peree  and  Fouquet,  able  men,  and  with  much 
experience  in  navigation.  We  set  sail  on  the  26th  of 
December,  with  a  favorable  wind,  which  carried  us  in 
five  days  to  the  Canary  Islands,  which  we  could  not 
fail  to  recognize.  After  having  suffered  from  annoy- 
ing calms  under  the  line  for  an  entire  month,  we 
resumed  our  route,  and,  after  a  voyage  of  three 
months,  found  ourselves  about  sixty  leagues  from  the 
Strait  of  Magellan,  through  which  we  wished  to  pass 
to  enter  the  Southern  Ocean. 

It  seems  to  me  entirely  unnecessary  to  give  you  a 
description  of  this  famous  Strait,  of  which  Ferdinand 
Magellan,  so  celebrated  for  his  voyages  around  the 
world,  made  the  first  discovery  almost  two  hundred 
years  ago.^  I  much  prefer  to  send  you  a  correct  and 
faithful  map,  made  from  the  latest  observations,  which 
are  much  more  exact  than  the  preceding  ones.  We 
had  already  entered  the  first  passage  which  presents 
itself  at  the  opening  of  the  Strait,  and  were  even 
anchored  in  a  nook  on  this  side  of  Gregoire  Bay,  when 
1  Sunda  and  Malacca.  2  jt  was  in  1520. 


CAPE  HORN  IN  1704. 


71 


suddenly  a  terrible  gale  surprised  us,  which  broke 
successively  four  cables,  and  caused  us  to  lose  two 
anchors.  We  were  in  great  danger  of  suffering  ship- 
wreck ;  but  God,  out  of  regard  to  our  prayers  and  our 
vows,  was  willing  to  deliver  us,  to  reserve  us,  as  we 
hope,  for  more  severe  trials,  and  to  suffer  at  last  a 
more  glorious  death  for  the  honor  of  His  name,  and 
in  defence  of  our  holy  faith. 

We  remained  for  fifteen  days  in  this  first  passage, 
to  search  for  the  anchors  we  had  lost,  and  to  procure 
water  from  a  river  which  M.  Baudran  de  Bellestre, 
one  of  our  officers,  had  discovered,  and  to  which  he 
gave  his  own  name.  During  this  period,  I  had  sev- 
eral times  the  pleasure  of  landing,  there  to  offer  up 
our  praises  to  God  in  this  part  of  the  world,  to  which 
the  Gospel  has  never  yet  penetrated.  We  found  the 
country  low  and  level,  broken  up  by  small  hills.  The 
soil  seemed  to  me  to  be  very  good,  and  well  adapted 
to  cultivation.  There  is  every  probabihty  that  in  this 
very  place,  in  the  narrow  part  of  the  Strait,  the  Span- 
iards, in  the  reign  of  Philip  II.,  erected  the  fortress  of 
Nombre  de  Dios,  when,  having  formed  the  rash  and 
impracticable  plan  of  closing  against  all  other  na- 
tions the  passage  of  Magellan,  they  built  there  two  vil- 
lages. For  this  purpose  they  sent  out  a  numerous 
fleet,  under  the  command  of  Sarmiento.  But,  the 
tempest  having  battered  and  dispersed  these  ships, 
the  captain  arrived  at  the  Strait  in  a  very  bad  condi- 
tion. He  erected  two  fortresses,  one  at  the  entrance 
of  the  Strait,  which,  I  think,  was  Nombre  de  Dios. 
The  other,  which  was  a  little  further  on,  he  called 


i 


72 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


"  Ciudad  del  Rey  Philippe,"  apparently  in  the  place 
which  to-day  we  have  named  "  Port  Famine,"  because 
there  these  unfortunate  Spaniards  perished  miserably, 
in  want  of  food  and  every  other  necessary  of  life. 
We  do  not  find,  however,  any  vestige  of  these  for- 
tresses in  either  Strait. 

We  did  not  meet  with  any  of  the  inhabitants  of  the 
country,  because  these  people,  on  the  approach  of 
winter,  are  accustomed  to  retire  further  inland.  But 
some  French  ships  which  had  preceded  us,  and  some 
wh'  h  have  followed  us,  have  seen  many  of  them  fur- 
ther up  the  Strait.  They  have  informed  us  that  these 
people,  who  seemed  docile  and  friendly,  are  for  the 
most  part  large  and  robust,  very  tall,  and  of  a  swarthy 
complexion,  similar  to  the  other  Americans. 

I  will  not  here  speak  to  you,  my  Reverend  Father, 
either  of  their  disposition  or  their  customs,  for  I  do  not 
wish  to  relate  any  thing  uncertain  or  untrue  ;  but  I 
will  take  the  liberty  to  unfold  to  you  the  sentiments  of 
compassion  with  which  the  grace  and  love  of  Jesus 
Christ  inspired  me  on  their  account,  on  seeing  the 
thick  darkness  which  enveloped  this  forsaken  country. 
On  the  one  hand,  I  considered  the  little  probability 
there  was  that  we  could  undertake  the  conversion  of 
these  poor  people,  and  the  immense  difficulties  which 
would  have  to  be  overcome.  On  the  other  hand,  the 
prophetic  declaration  of  Jesus  Christ  with  regard  to 
the  spread  of  the  Gospel  over  the  whole  world  often 
occurred  to  my  mind  ;  that  God  has  His  appointed 
times  and  seasons  to  pour  out  on  each  country  the 
treasures  of  His  mercy ;  that  for  twenty  years  past 


ilir^'^ii 


li!::ii, 


CAPE  HORN  IN  1704. 


n 


our  Fathers  have  carried  the  Gospel  to  places  as  far 
distant  from  the  light  as  these  ;  that  perhaps  our  Lord 
has  not  permitted  us  to  accomplish  our  voyage  to 
China  by  this  new  route,  so  that  some  of  us,  touched 
by  the  needs  of  these  poor  heathen,  miglit  determine 
to  remain  here  ;  that  some  most  flourishing  missions 
have  owed  their  origin  to  a  shipwreck,  or  some  acci- 
dental meeting  which  could  not  have  happened  by 
chance.  I  prayed  the  Lord  to  hasten  this  happy 
moment,  and  I  would  have  ventured  to  offer  myself,  if 
it  be  His  will,  for  this  noble  enterprise.  This  was  all 
that  I  felt  able  to  do  at  the  present  time. 

But  I  have  learned  since  that  my  wishes  had  been 
anticipated,  and,  indeed,  were  not  far  from  being 
already  fulfilled  ;  for,  on  arriving  in  Chile,  I  was  told 
that  the  Jesuits  in  that  kingdom  had  resolved,  on  the 
first  opportunity,  to  penetrate  as  far  as  the  Strait 
of  Magellan,  from  which  some  of  their  missions  are 
only  distant  about  a  hundred  leagues.  To  accomplish 
this  will  require  the  highest  courage,  for  the  crosses 
will  be  abundant.  They  will  have  to  encounter  the 
greatest  severity  of  cold,  to  penetrate  frightful  des- 
erts, and  to  follow  the  savages  in  their  long  journeys. 
This  would  be,  in  truth,  in  the  South,  what  the  mis- 
sion to  the  Iroquois  and  to  the  Hurons  of  Canada  is 
in  the  North,  for  those  who  shall  have  the  glory  to 
accomplish  here  what  has  been  doing  in  those  coun- 
tries for  nearly  a  century,  with  so  much  toil  and  for- 
titude. 

After  this  little  digression,  I  return  to  our  voyage. 
As  the  accident  which  had  delayed  us,  by  the  loss  of 
4 


I 


"A 


mm- 


III 


iii!  ii 
tli:Ir:;il 


i! 
ill 


74 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


our  cable  and  anchors,  rendered  it  impossible  for  us 
to  pass  through  the  Strait  of  Magellan  (where  one  is 
obliged  to  anchor  every  night),  and  as  the  winter  of 
this  country  was  at  hand,  our  captains  resolved,  with- 
out further  loss  of  time,  to  seek,  by  the  -Strait  of  Le 
Maire,  a  passage  to  the  Southern  Ocean  more  sure 
and  easy.  We  therefore  weighed  anchor  on  the  nth 
of  April,  in  the  year  1704,  to  leave  the  Strait  of  Ma- 
gellan, and  seek  that  of  Le  Maire.  Two  days  after- 
wards, we  found  ourselves  at  the  entrance  of  this 
second  Strait,  through  which  we  passed  in  five  or  six 
hours,  in  beautiful  weather.  We  coasted  very  near 
the  shore  of  the  land  of  Del  Fuego,  or  De  Feu,  which 
seemed  to  me  to  be  an  archipelago  of  many  islands, 
rather  than  one  single  continent,  as  has  been  supposed 
to  the  present  time. 

I  ought  here  to  remark,  in  passing,  an  error  of  con- 
siderable importance  in  our  maps,  both  ancient  and 
modern :  that  they  give  to  Terre  de  Feu,  which  ex- 
tends from  the  Strait  of  Magellan  to  that  of  Le  Maire, 
a  much  greater  length  than  it  really  has  ;  for,  accord- 
ing to  the  exact  observations  we  made,  it  appeared 
certain  that  it  is  not  more  than  sixty  leagues,  although 
it  has  much  more  ascribed  to  it.  The  Terre  de  Feu 
is  inhabited  by  savages,  of  whom  we  know  even  less 
than  we  do  of  those  of  the  Terre  Magellanique.  It 
has  received  the  name  of  Terre  de  Feu  on  account  of 
the  great  number  of  fires  which  those  who  first  dis- 
covered it  saw  in  the  night. 

Certain  documents  inform  us  that  Garcius  de  Nodel, 
having  obtained  of  the  King  of  Spain  two  frigates  to 


CAPE  HORN  IN  1704. 


75 


explore  this  new  Strait,  anchored  there  in  a  bay,  where 
he  found  many  of  the  islanders,  who  seemed  to  him 
docile  and  of  a  good  disposition.  If  we  may  credit 
these  narratives,  those  barbarians  are  as  white  as  the 
Europeans  ;  but  they  disfigure  their  bodies,  and  change 
the  natural  color  of  their  faces,  by  variegated  paint- 
ings. They  are  half  covered  with  skins  of  ani- 
mals, wearing  around  their  necks  a  collar  of  white 
and  shining  shells,  and  about  their  bodies  a  girdle  of 
leather.  Their  ordinary  food  is  a  species  of  bitter 
herb,  which  grows  in  the  country,  the  flower  of  which 
is  somewhat  similar  to  that  of  our  tulips.  These 
people  rendered  all  sorts  of  service  to  the  Spaniards  ; 
they  labored  with  them,  and  brought  them  the  fish 
they  had  caught.  They  were  armed  with  bows  and 
arrows,  which  they  had  ornamented  with  stones  of 
curious  workmanship ;  and  they  carried  with  thera  a 
species  of  stone  knife,  which  they  laid  on  the  ground 
with  their  arms  when  they  approached  the  Spaniards, 
to  show  that  they  trusted  in  them.  Their  huts  were 
formed  of  trees,  interlaced  one  with  the  other ;  and 
they  had  made  in  the  roof,  which  terminated  in  a 
point,  an  opening  to  give  free  passage  to  the  smoke. 
Their  canoes,  made  of  the  bark  of  large  trees,  were 
very  properly  constructed.  They  cannot  hold  more 
than  seven  or  eight  men,  being  only  twelve  or  fifteen 
feet  in  length  and  two  in  breadth.  In  shape  they  are 
nearly  the  same  as  the  gondolas  of  Venice.  These 
Indians  repeat  often,  ''  Hoo  !  Hoo  !''  but  it  is  impos- 
sible to  say  whether  it  is  a  natural  cry,  or  some  par- 
ticular word  in  their  language.     They  appear  to  have 


m 

x:.i 


mt\ 


m 


76 


HISTORICAL  SCENES, 


quickness  of  mind,  and  some  of  them  learned  very 
easily  the  Lord's  Prayer. 

To  mention  one  thing  more :  this  coast  of  Terre  de 
Feu  is  very  elevated.  The  base  of  the  mountains  is 
filled  with  large  trees,  and  their  summits  are  almost 
always  covered  with  snow.  In  many  places  we  found 
a  secure  anchorage,  convenient  for  taking  in  wood 
and  water.  In  passing  through  the  Strait,  we  saw  at 
our  left,  at  a  distance  of  about  three  leagues,  the 
island  of  ihe  Etats  de  Hollande,^  which  seemed  to  be 
equally  elevated  and  mountainous. 

At  last,  having  passed  the  Strait  of  Le  Maire,  and 
seen  numerous  islands  that  are  marked  on  our  maps, 
we  began  to  experience  the  rigor  of  this  climate  dur- 
ing winter,  in  the  severe  cold,  hail,  and  unceasing 
rains,  and  in  the  shortness  of  the  days,  which  did  not 
last  but  eight  hours,  and  which,  being  always  very 
gloomy,  left  us  in  a  kind  of  continual  night.  Then 
we  entered  the  stormy  sea,  where  we  were  subjected  to 
severe  gales  of  wind,  which  separated  our  vessel  from 
that  commanded  by  M.  Fouquet,  and  where  we  en- 
dured violent  tempests,  which  made  us  fear,  more 
than  once,  that  we  should  be  wrecked  upon  some 
unknown  shore.  We  did  not,  however,  go  beyond 
fifty-seven  and  a  half  degrees  of  South  Latitude  ;  and, 
after  having  battled  for  fifteen  days  against  the  vio- 
lence of  head  winds  in  tacking,  we  doubled  Cap  de 
Homes,  which  is  the  most  southern  point  of  Terre  de 
Feu,  And  here  I  must  again  point  out  an  error  in 
our  maps,  which  places  Cap  de  Homes  at  fifty-seven 

1  Now  called  Staten  Land. — Trans. 


i^iii' 


CAPE  HORN  IN  1704. 


77 


and  a  half  degrees.  This  cannot  be  ;  for,  although 
we  reached  that  height  of  latitude,  as  I  have  said,  we 
passed  at  a  distance  from  the  Cape,  so  that  we  did 
not  see  i*:.  It  is  this  which  induces  me  to  decide  that 
its  true  situation  should  be  fifty-six  and  a  half  degrees 
at  the  utmost. 

As  the  great  peril  of  our  voyage  in  this  sea  con- 
sisted in  doubling  Cap  de  Homes,  we  now  continued 
our  route  with  less  difificulty.  By  degrees  we  found 
ourselves  in  seas  more  smooth  and  tranquil  ;  so  that, 
after  a  voyage  of  four  months  and  a  half,  we  reached 
the  port  of  Conception,  in  the  kingdom  of  Chile,  where 
we  anchored  on  the  13th  of  May,  being  Whitsunday. 
We  have  in  this  city  a  college  of  our  Society,  where 
the  Fathers  received  us  with  great  demonstrations  of 
friendship. 

Conception  is  a  city  which  is  the  seat  of  a  Bishop  ; 
but  it  is  poor,  and  with  a  small  population,  although 
the  soil  is  fertile  and  yields  abundantly.  There  is, 
however,  a  much  better  market  here  than  in  Peru, 
except  for  Europeah  commodities,  which  are  sold  very 
dear.  The  houses  are  low  and  badly  built,  without 
furniture  or  ornament.  The  churches  show  the  effect 
of  the  poverty  of  the  country.  The  streets  are  like 
those  in  our  villages  in  France.  The  harbor  is  fine, 
large,  and  secure,  although  the  north  wind  often  pre- 
vails there,  at  least  during  the  winter  and  autumn. 

Eight  days  after  our  arrival  at  Conception,  the 
"  Murinet,"  which  had  been  separated  from  us,  as  I 
have  said,  came  to  anchor  in  the  same  port,  and  we 
were  relieved  of  the  fear  we  had  felt  that  some  unfor- 


;i.  *i, 


T 


7S 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


tiinate  accident  had  happened  to  her.  We  did  not 
remain  at  Conception  a  longc  time  than  was  neces- 
sary for  us  to  lay  in  some  supplies,  and  rest  ourselves 
a  little  from  the  fatigues  of  our  voyage.  Thus,  fif- 
teen days  afterward,  we  sailed  for  Peru,  having  left 
the  "  Murinet  "  at  Conception,  as  they  required  more 
time  to  repair  the  vessel  and  recruit  themselves. 

The  first  port  of  Peru  in  which  we  anchored  was 
Arica,  in  about  nineteen  degrees  of  South  Latitude. 
This  city  and  its  port,  in  former  times,  were  very 
celebrated,  because  there  they  embarked  the  immense 
treasure  which  they  took  from  the  mines  of  Peru,  to 
carry  it  by  sea  to  Lima.  But  since  the  English  cor- 
sairs have  infested  these  seas  with  their  cruises  and 
piracies,  it  has  been  thought  best  to  convey  it  by 
land,  though  attended  with  great  expense.  We  re- 
mained almost  five  months  in  this  port  and  that  of 
Hilo,  which  is  thirty  leagues  distant,  but  has  nothing 
about  it  worthy  of  mention.  As  we  felt  the  most 
earnest  longings  for  our  beloved  mission  in  China,  it 
was  with  great  regret  that  we  endured  so  long  and 
annoying  a  delay  ;  and  from  that  time  we  began  to 
fear  that  our  ships  would  never  accomplish  the 
voyage  to  China. 

The  most  peculiar  thing  with  regard  to  Peru  is, 
that  there  one  never  experiences  rain,  hail,  thunder, 
or  lightning.  The  weather  is  always  beautiful,  serene, 
and  calm.  A  wind,  which  usually  blows  about  the 
middle  of  the  day,  and  which  has  the  same  effect  as 
the  north  wind  has  in  France,  freshens  the  atmos- 
phere, and  renders  it   more   endurable.     But  earth- 


CAPE  HORN  IN  1704. 


79 


quakes  are  frequent,  and  we  have  experienced  two  or 
three  since  we  have  been  here. 

After  having  made  so  long  a  stay  at  Arica  and  at 
Hilo,  we  resumed  our  voyage  to  Lima,  and  came  to 
anchor  at  Pisco,  which  is  only  forty  leagues  distant 
from  it.  Near  this  port,  in  former  times,  was  a  cele- 
brated city,  situated  on  the  sea-shore  ;  but  it  was 
almost  entirely  ruined  and  destroyed  by  the  earth- 
quake which  took  place  on  the  19th  of  October,  in 
the  year  1682,  and  which  also  did  considerable  injury 
to  Lima.  The  sea,  overflowing  its  natural  bounds, 
engulfed  that  unfortunate  city,  which  they  have  en- 
deavored to  re-establish  somewhat  further  back,  more 
than  a  quarter  of  a  league  from  the  sea.  We  had 
there  a  beautiful  and  extensive  college,  which  they 
have  commenced  re'building  in  the  new  city. 

As  the  Reverend  Father,  the  Rector  of  Lima,  had 
invited  us  to  come  by  land  to  this  capital  city  of  Peru, 
which  is  near  Callao,  where  our  ships  would  be,  we 
went  thither  —  Father  de  Brasles  and  myself  —  to 
take  a  little  repose  after  our  long  and  wearisome 
voyage.  Our  Spanish  Fathers,  who  had  been  impa- 
tiently expecting  us  for  so  long  a  time,  received  us 
with  every  demonstration  of  esteem,  and  tender  and 
sincere  charity. 

Lima,  the  capital  of  Peru,  and  the  usual  residence 
of  the  viceroy,  is  a  finer  city  than  Orleans.  The  plan 
of  the  city  is  beautiful  and  regular.  It  is  situated  on 
a  level  plain  at  the  foot  of  the  mountains.  A  small 
river  runs  by  its  side,  which  does  not  contain  much 
water,  except  in  the  summer,  when  it  is  swelled  in  an 


80 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


extraordinary  manner  by  the  torrents  which  fall  from 
the  neighboring  mountains  when  the  snows  melt. 

In  the  centre  of  Lima  is  a  handsome  and  extensive 
square,  bordered  on  one  side  by  the  palace  of  the 
Viceroy,  which  has  nothing  magnificent  about  it,  and 
on  another  by  the  cathedral  church  and  the  palace  of 
the  Archbishop.  The  two  other  sides  are  occupied  by 
private  houses  and  some  merchants'  shops.  We  trace 
there,  even  at  this  day,  the  sad  effects  of  the  ruin  and 
general  desolation  produced  by  the  earthquake  of 
which  {  have  spoken.  As  these  earthquakes  are  so 
frequent  in  Peru,  their  houses  are  not  built  high. 
Those  at  Lima  are  almost  always  of  one  story.  They 
are  built  of  wood  or  earth,  and  covered  with  a  flat 
roof,  which  serves  for  terraces. 

But  if  the  houses  make  little  show,  the  streets  are 
beautiful,  wide,  and  spacious.  They  are  straight,  and 
intersected  at  regular  distances  by  cross-streets  not  so 
large,  for  the  facility  and  convenience  of  commerce. 
The  churches  of  Lima  are  magnificent,  and  built  in 
accordance  with  the  rules  of  art  and  the  finest  Italian 
models.  The  altars  are  appropriate  and  superbl} 
ornamented ;  and,  although  there  is  such  a  large 
number  of  churches,  they  are,  notwithstanding,  all 
admirably  kept  up.  Gold  and  silver  arc  not  spared, 
but  the  workmanship  does  not  equal  the  richness  of 
the  material ;  for  we  see  nothing  there,  in  gold  or 
silver  work,  which  can  compare  with  the  beauty  and 
delicacy  of  such  work  in  France  and  Italy.  We  have 
five  Houses  at  Lima,  the  principal  of  which  is  the 
College  of  St.  Paul's. 


CAPE  HORN  IN  1704. 


81 


The  harbor  of  Lima,  which  usually  goes  by  the 
name  of  Callao,  is  two  leagues  distant.  It  is  a  very 
excellent  and  safe  port,  large  enough  to  hold  a  thou- 
sand ships.  Twenty  or  thirty  are  ordinarily  lying 
there,  which  are  used  by  the  merchants  in  trading  to 
Chile,  Panama,  and  other  ports  of  New  Spain. 

This  would  be  the  place,  my  Reverend  Father,  to 
give  you  a  particular  account  of  this  celebrated  king- 
dom, —  its  government,  ancient  and  modern  ;  its 
mines,  so  famous  through  all  Europe  ;  the  trai'  and 
customs  of  its  inhabitants  ;  the  fruits  and  plants 
which  are  peculiar  to  it,  —  but  as  this  would  require 
more  time  and  ability  than  I  possess,  you  will  excuse 
mt  from  this  labor,  and  allow  me  here  to  finish  my 
narrative. 

Several  months  had  now  elapsed,  during  n'hich  we 
had  been  enjoying  this  repose  at  Lima,  and  we  pre- 
pared to  return  to  the  sea-shore,  and  embark  for  China, 
when  our  captains  informed  us  that,  finding  themselves 
not  in  a  condition  to  undertake  so  long  a  voyage,  they 
were  obliged  to  return  to  France.  This  resolution 
did  not  surprise  us.  They  were  right  ;  but  their  de- 
cision deeply  troubled  us,  for  we  saw  ourselves  frus- 
trated, at  least  for  a  time,  in  our  dearest  hopes. 
After  having,  therefore,  earnestly  commended  this 
matter  to  the  Lord,  and  asked  for  the  light  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  to  show  us  what  we  ought  to  do  in  so 
sad  a  conjuncture,  we  formed  the  resolution  of  going 
to  Mexico,  and  passing  over  from  thence  to  the  Philip- 
pine Islands,  from  which  it  would  be  easy  for  us  to 
reach  China.     Father  de  Rives,  one  of  our  dear  asso- 

4*  F 


'f^ 


82 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


ciates,  finding  his  constitution  much  impaired  by  the 
exposures  of  so  long  a  voyage,  felt  obliged  to  return  to 
France  with  the  ships  which  had  brought  us  to  this 
country.  For  ourselves,  since  God  has  preserved  our 
health  even  to  this  present  time,  although  we  are  well 
aware  of  all  the  difficulties  which  await  us  in  the 
fatiguing  passage  we  have  still  to  make,  yet  we  will 
undertake  it,  full  of  courage  and  hope  that  Heaven 
will  protect  us,  and  conduct  us  happily  to  the  end  we 
so  much  desire.  It  is  this  grace  which  all  our  Fathers 
ask  you  to  pray  for  us,  that  we  may  have  strength 
to  sacrifice  our  Jives  in  the  glorious  ministry  of  the 
preaching  of  the  Gospel,  and  the  conversion  of  the 
heathen,  adopting  always  for  the  rule  of  our  conduct 
the  holy  maxims  and  counsels,  so  full  of  wisdom, 
which  you  had  the  goodness  to  give  us  when  we  had 
the  honor  to  receive  your  orders.  I  am,  with  the 
most  lively  gratitude  and  the  most  respectful  attach- 
ment, &c. 


MONASTERIES  OF  MOUNT  LEBANON       83 


IV. 


THE   MONASTERIES   OF   MOUNT   LEBANON. 


1721. 

[From  the  earliest  ages  a  deep  interest  has  invested  the 
mountains  of  Lebanon.  Moses,  In  his  closing  days,  when  told 
that  he  could  not  enter  Canaan,  prayed,  "  Let  me  go  over  and  see 
that  goodly  mountain,  even  Lebanon."  Solomon,  in  the  Canti- 
cles, compares  the  bride  to  "  a  fountain  of  gardens,  a  weU  of 
living  waters,  and  streams  from  Lebanon."  And  Jeremiah  al- 
ludes to  another  feature  of  the  scenery,  mentioned  in  the  follow- 
ing letter,  when  he  asks,  "  Will  a  man  leave  the  snow  of  Lebanon, 
which  cometh  from  the  rock  of  the  field  .''  " 

Its  cedars  were  world-renowned  when  Solomon  built  the  first 
temple.  His  own  palace,  probably  supported  by  numerous  pil- 
lars of  that  wood,  was  called  '  the  house  of  the  forest  of  Leb- 
anon." And  again  they  are  alluded  to,  when  that  phrase  is 
used,  "  He  cast  forth  his  roots  as  Lebanon." 

When  rnonachism  arose  in  the  church,  devotees  turned  to  this 
as  consecrated  ground.  For  ages  this  range  of  mountains  was 
crowded  with  monasteries,  and  peopled  by  the  dwellers  in  her- 
mitages, till  it  had  ceased  to  be  a  solitary  retreat.  The  author 
of  the  following  letter  visited  it  when,  indeed,  this  system  was 
m  its  wane,  but  still  enough  was  left  to  show  what  it  once  had 
been.  It  is  the  only  picture  we  know  of  those  long  departed 
scenes.] 


84 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


Narrative  of  a  yourney  to  Cannobin^  on  Mount  Lebanon^ 
sent  to  Father  FleuriaJi  by  Father  Fetitqiieux^  Jesuit  Mis- 
sionary. 


I  HAVE  the  honor  to  send  you,  my  Reverend  Father, 
the  account  which  you  have  asked  of  my  journey  to 
Mount  Lebanon.  I  know  that  others  of  our  mission- 
aries have  made  this  before  me,  and  that  they  have 
not  failed  to  give  you  a  narrative  of  it.  The  desire 
which  I  have  to  render  mine  agreeable  to  you  im- 
presses me  with  a  strong  belief  that  you  will  find  in 
my  account  some  points  which  they  have  omitted  in 
theirs.  In  any  ca^jC,  my  ready  compliance  will  stand 
in  the  place  of  merit  in  your  eyes. 

We  left  Tripoli  ^  —  the  Father  Bonam our  and  my- 
self—  on  the  13th  of  Octobei,  1721,  having  for  01 
guides  three  Maronites  of  Mount  Lebanon.  We 
travelled  together  for  the  next  four  days,  to  reach 
Arges,  a  little  village  situated  at  the  foot  of  the 
mountains  of  Lebanon,  and  six  leagues  distant  from 
the  Cedars.  With  all  the  speed  we  were  able  to 
make,  we  did  not  arrive  there  until  after  six  hours  of 
the  night  had  passed,  travelling  by  moonlight.  We 
were  obliged  to  pass  the  rest  of  the  night  on  the  floor 

1  This  must  not  be  confounded  with  a  city  of  the  lame  name  on 
the  northern  coast  of  Africa.  Tripoli,  in  Syria,  is  near  the  mouth  of 
a  small  rive:,  called  Kadisha,  al  the  foot  of  Mount  Lebanon,  and  sev- 
enty-five miles  north-west  of  Damascus.  In  iioi  it  v/as  taken  by  the 
Crusaders,  and  held  by  Raymond,  Count  of  Toulouse,  till  1288,  when 
it  was  retrken  by  Melee  Mcssor,  sultan  of  Egypt,  who  orriered  it  to 
be  razed  to  its  foundation.     See  "  Volney's   Travels,"  &c.  —  Trans. 


MONASTERIES  OF  MOUNT  LEBANON. 


85 


of  a  miserable  hovel,  built  of  reeds,  where  we  suffered 
all  the  while  from  a  high  and  piercing  wind. 

We  set  out  the  next  day  before  light.  Our  guides 
led  us  over  the  most  rugged  roads,  in  which  we  were 
greatly  fatigued,  and  made  but  little  progress.  We 
passed  a  little  village,  named  Antourin,  the  lord  of 
which,  having  seen  us,  came  to  meet  us,  and  invited 
us  to  dine  with  him.  It  would  have  been  well  for  us 
if  we  had  accepted  this  invitation  ;  for  scarcely  had 
we  got  half  a  league  distant  from  his  residence,  when 
we  encountered  a  violent  rain-storm,  exceedingly  cold, 
accompanied  by  hail  and  thunder,  which  lasted  with- 
out cessation  for  two  hours,  during  which  we  were 
unable  to  find  any  place  of  shelter.  Our  clothes  were 
at  once  wet  through ;  and  we  travelled  through  mud 
mid-leg  deep,  and  over  ravines  filled  with  water,  which 
threatened  to  drown  us.  The  rain,  which  formed  a 
stream  under  our  feet,  was  changed  to  snow  on  the 
neighboring  mountains. 

At  length,  after  indescribable  fatigues,  we  arrived 
at  Marserkis,  a  monastery  of  the  Reverend  Carmelite 
Fathers.  The  succor  of  their  charity  came  to  us  most 
opportunely  ;  for  they  provided  us,  at  their  residence, 
""vlth  every  thing  that  was  necessary  to  relieve  the 
pitiable  state  in  which  we  were.  We  rcLiiained  during 
the  15  th  in  their  house  to  rest  ourselves.  The  mon- 
astery \?  situated  at  the  foot  of  a  rock  of  such  fright- 
ful height  that  it  is  inaccessible  except  to  eagles  or 
vultures,  which  make  it  their  resort. 

The  caves  constructed  in  the  rock,  ^vhich  forms 
a  large  portion  of  the  building,  have  been  rendered 


\ 


y*/ 


'.A   ••b 


86 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


equally  beautiful  and  commodious  by  nature  and  art. 
The  chapel  is  a  grotto  of  reasonable  size,  but  as 
appropriate  as  if  it  had  been  cut  out  of  the  stone  by 
the  chisel.  An  abundant  fountain  of  very  clear  and 
pure  water  flows  from  the  rock,  which  irrigates  the 
garden  after  having  passed  through  all  those  parts  of 
the  building  where  water  is  necessary.  The  garden 
abounds  in  vegetables.  A  residence  at  Marserkis  is 
delightful  in  summer,  and  the  Carmelite  Fathers  pass 
six  months  of  the  year  there  ;  but  the  snow  and  the 
severe  cold  of  Lebanon  render  a  sojourn  there  so 
insupportable  during  the  winter  that  they  are  obliged 
to  abandon  their  caves  from  the  first  cold  until  Easter, 
and  to  retire  to  Tripoli. 

The  ne.it  day,  the  i6th,  we  were  conducted  to  the 
cedars  of  Lebanon.  The  roads  not  having  again 
dried  up  after  the  rains  which  had  taken  place,  we  had 
much  difficulty  in  accomplishing  the  single  league 
from  Marserkis  to  the  cedars,  which  we  could  see 
at  a  distance. 

We  examined  them  at  our  leisure.  They  are  situ- 
ated on  a  small  mountain,  which  forms  at  its  summit 
a  somewhat  extended  plain.  This  plain  is  encom- 
passed by  mountains  much  higher  than  it,  and  which 
are  covered  with  snow. 

These  cedars,  so  famous  through  the  whole  world, 
are  in  great  numbers  on  this  plain  ;  but  those  that  are 
small  and  young  are  much  more  numerous  than  those 
that  are  large  and  ancient,  I  did  not  count  more 
than  a  dozen  of  extraordinary  size.  We  measured 
the  largest,  and  found  they  were  thirty-six  feet  in 


beli 
four 
this 
serv 
plac( 
W 
histc 


MONASTERIES  OF  MOUNT  LEBANON.       87 


circumference.'  We  found  some  which,  after  having 
grown  up  some  distance  in  one  trunk,  formed  five  or  six 
trees,  which  were  each  of  such  size  that  two  men  could 
with  difficulty  clasp  it  around.  But  when  these  trees 
reunited  again  at  the  height  of  their  trunk,  they  were 
of  wonderful  size.  Their  height  is  proportioned  to 
their  width.  Travellers,  who  have  the  habit  of  carv- 
ing their  names  everywhere  they  go,  have  made  great 
incisions  on  the  surface  of  the  largest  cedars  to 
inscribe  them  there.  From  these  incisions  there 
flows  out  an  excellent  balsam  in  the  form  of  a  gum, 
the  effect  of  which  is  admirable  in  healing  wounds, 
and  of  which  we  at  once  made  trial  on  the  spot. 

At  the  foot  of  the  largest  cedars  are  four  stone 
altars.  On  the  festival  of  the  Transfiguration  of  our 
Lord,  the  Patriarch  of  the  Maronites  repairs  thither, 
accompanied  by  a  large  number  of  Bishops,  priests, 
and  members  of  thf  Religious  Orders,  and  followed  by 
five  or  six  thousand  Maronites,  who  come  thither 
from  all  parts  to  celebrate  there  the  fete,  which  they 
call  the  Festival  of  the  Cedars.  Although  the  Maron- 
ites celebrate  this  Festival  on  the  day  of  the  Trans- 
figuration of  our  Lord,  this  does  not  prove  that  they 
believe,  as  some  historians  have  said  without  any 
foundation,  that  the  Transfiguration  took  place  on 
this  mountain.  In  the  office  which  they  use  in  the 
services  of  this  day,  they  say  expressly  that  it  took 
place  on  Mount  Tabor. 

What  has  given  occasion  to  this  opinir  n  of  these 
historians  is,  that  they  are  able  to  state  that  Tabor 

1  "Six  brasses  de  circuit."     A  brasse  is  six  feet. —  Trans. 


f 


88 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


forms  part  of  the  mountains  which  have  one  common 
name,  and  which  they  call  Lebanon  and  Anti-Leb- 
anon. 

These  mountains  of  Lebanon  extend  from  the  bor- 
ders of  the  sea  to  the  sources  of  the  Jordan,  or  to 
Mount  Carmel,  even  to  one  or  two  days'  journey  from 
Damascus.  The  mountains  of  Anti-Lebanon  are  those 
which  extend  farther  into  the  country,  and  which  are 
separated  from  the  mountains  of  Lebanon  by  a  great 
plain,  which  commences  one  or  two  days'  journey  from 
Damascus,  on  the  side  towards  Balbec,  and  which 
they  commonly  call  the  Boque.  The  mountains  of 
Anti-Lebanon  are  so  called  because  they  are  opposite 
those  of  Lebanon,  and  look  towards  them. 

The  plain  on  which  these  grand  cedars  stand  has 
an  atmosphere  so  cold  that  no  one  wishes  to  dwell 
there,  although  the  situation  is  very  delightful.  We 
found  there  a  great  quantity  of  medicinal  herbs  and 
of  very  rare  simples. 

Game  of  all  kinds  is  common  there.  They  have 
nothing  to  fear  but  from  the  vultures  and  other  birds 
of  prey.  The  land  would  be  very  fertile  if  it  were 
cultivated.  It  produces  a  great  quantity  of  bushes, 
which  bear  a  kind  of  berry,  black  and  of  a  very  agree- 
able taste. 

Lebanon  was  formerly  covered  with  cedars,  which 
to-day  are  only  found  on  the  plain  I  have  mentioned, 
and  on  one  other  mountain  near  Canobin.  Joiners' 
work,  which  is  very  handsomely  executed,  is  made 
here  from  the  wood  of  the  cedar. 

On  the  1 6th  we  left  the  Monastery  of  Marserkis  to 


thei 


MONASTERIES  OF  MOUNT  LEBANON.       89 

go  to  that  of  Marelicha,  which  is  only  a  league  distant. 
The  Father  Vicar  and  two  other  members  of  the  Order 
accompanied  us.  The  Monastery  of  Mart^licha,  that 
is  to  say,  of  Saint  Elisa,  is  situated  at  the  foot  of  a 
frightful  mountain,  and  on  the  bank  of  a  river  called 
Nahr-Gadischa,  which  means  the  Holy  River.  It 
runs  into  a  deep  valley,  very  narrow,  the  sides  of 
which  are  adorned  with  pine-trees,  walnuts,  oaks,  and 
vines.  At  thirty  feet  from  the  river,  we  see  on  each 
side  a  chain  of  mountains  rising,  almost  entirely  cov- 
ered with  rocks. 

These  rocks  form  deep  caves,  which  in  old  times 
were  the  cells  of  a  multitude  of  hermits,  who  had 
chosen  these  retreats  to  be  the  sole  witnesses  on  earth 
of  the  severity  of  their  unceasing  penitence.  It  is  the 
tears  of  these  holy  penitents  which  have  given  to  the 
river  we  have  mentioned  the  name  of  the  Holy  River. 
Its  source  is  in  the  mountains  of  Lebanon.  The  sight 
of  these  caves  and  of  this  river  in  the  frightful  desert 
inspired  me  with  the  feeling  of  contrition,  with  the 
love  of  penitence,  and  with  compassion  for  those  sen- 
sual and  worldly  souls  who  prefer  a  few  days  of  enjoy- 
ment and  pleasure  to  an  eternity  of  happiness. 

The  Superior  of  the  Monastery  of  Saint  Elisa 
received  us  with  great  demonstrations  of  love.  The 
monastery  is  composed  of  twenty  monks,  who  are 
called  Alepins.  They  are  almost  the  only  ones  who 
merit  the  name  of  being  members  of  a  religious 
order. 

A  holy  priest,  named  Abdalla,  established  them 
there  about  twenty-five  years  ago.     He  particularly 


90 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


took  counsel  of  the  late  Father  Nicolas  Bazire  in 
shaping  the  life  and  religious  course  of  their  brethreii. 
He  was  their  first  Superior.  Afterwards  they  with- 
drew him  against  his  own  wishes  from  his  monastery 
to  make  him  a  Bishop.  Our  mission  of  Antoura  is  in 
his  diocese.  He  left  as  his  successor  in  his  monastery 
the  Priest  Gabriel,  a  monk  of  rare  modesty  and  of 
exemplary  piety.  He  is  universally  esteemed  and 
honored  by  the  Maronites,  the  Greeks,  and  even  the 
Turks,  on  account  of  his  profound  knowledge  in  the 
Arabic  language. 

The  members  of  the  Order  of  the  Alepins  undergo 
two  years  of  novitiate.  They  never  eat  meat,  are 
poorly  clothed,  and  chant  the  Office  at  midnight.  We 
took  part  in  it  three  times,  and  were  exceedingly  edi- 
fied by  their  modesty  in  the  church  and  the  fervor  of 
their  chanting.  One  part  of  the  day  they  spend  in 
the  cultivation  of  the  ground  and  in  domestic  duties. 
They  confess  every  day,  morning  and  evening,  to  their 
Superiors.  They  observe  their  rules  with  the  most 
scrupulous  exactness,  and  particularly  that  with  re- 
gard to  silence  and  rigorous  fasting.  They  rarely  see 
any  thing  of  the  oi?tr.ide  world.  Women  are  never 
admitted  into  their  church.  If  it  should  happen  that 
a  member  of  the  Order  becomes  remiss  and  wearies 
in  his  vocation,  the  Superior  counsels  him  to  retire, 
even  though  he  had  made  the  profession  for  ten  years^ 
The  Superior  has  power  to  free  them  from  their  vows. 

We  remained  in  this  monastery  till  the  i8th.  On 
the  morning  of  that  day  we  left  with  our  guides  to  go 
to  Canobin,  which  is  only  two  good  leagues  from  the 


ligh 
aste 
in  t 
T 
with 


MONASTERIES  OF  MOUNT  LEBANON.       QT 


Monastery  of  Saint  EHsa.  On  our  way  we  saw  the 
remains  of  many  ancient  monasteries,  which  the  her- 
mits had  formerly  inhabited,  and  which  to-day  are 
deserted,  having  been  ruined  by  the  MetuaHs,  the 
heretical  Turks. 

We  saw  also  the  ruins  of  some  of  these  monasteries 
situated  on  rocks  so  steep  that  we  could  not  compre- 
hend how  it  was  possible  for  any  one  to  ascend  to 
them. 

We  entered  a  chapel,  admirably  excavated  from  the 
rock,  which  contained  two  altars.  On  the  one  is  an 
image  of  the  Holy  Virgin,  and  on  the  other  that  of 
St.  Anthony.  By  the  side  of  this  chapel,  and  in  the 
same  rock,  we  saw  some  deserted  cells,  where  the 
hermits  once  lived,  passing  a  life  which  was  cer- 
tainly not  one  of  ease.  The  Holy  River  flows  at  the 
foot  of  these  mountains  for  a  course  of  five  or  six 
leagues. 

At  Canobin,  where  we  arrived,  is  the  residence  of 
the  Patriarch  of  the  Maronites.  We  were  received 
there  with  great  affection.  There  are  only  a  small 
number  of  monks,  who  are  very  poorly  lodged  and 
equally  poorly  clothed  and  fed.  The  Patriarch,  with 
these  monks  and  some  Maronite  Bishops  who  are  with 
him,  all  live  together  in  a  perfect  union,  and  in  a  sim- 
plicity and  purity  of  manners  very  exemplary.  The 
lightest  faults  are  very  severely  punished.  The  mon- 
astery, poor  as  it  is,  receives  strangers  most  charitably, 
in  the  true  spirit  of  hospitality. 

The  Patriarch  was  clothed  in  a  dress  of  crimson, 
with  a  border  of  fur.     Under  this  habit  he  had  a  cas- 


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92 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


sock  of  purple  color.  The  modesty  of  this  was  very 
marked. 

The  church  of  the  monastery  is  dedicated  to  the 
Holy  Virgin.  The  Patriarch  told  us  that  it  had  an 
antiquity  of  fourteen  hundred  years.  I  is  one  vast 
cave,  out  of  which  they  have  form.jd  the  church, 
which  is  quite  handsome,  and  ornamented  with  pict- 
ures. The  Patriarch  pointed  out  to  us  the  portraits 
of  Innocent  XI.  and  of  Louis  XIV.  We  assisted  at 
the  performance  of  Service  in  the  day  and  in  the  night. 
Their  liturgy  is  very  ancient.  It  is  composed  in  the 
ancient  Syriac,  with  a  small  part  in  Arabic,  but  writ- 
ten in  Syriac  letters,  which  they  call  Kerchora. 

The  cells  of  the  monks  are  in  the  caves  near  the 
church.  To  remain  there  winter  and  summer  neces- 
sarily exposes  them  to  the  injurious  effects  of  the 
weather.  The  Patriarch  caused  us  to  see  the  chamber 
which  bears  the  name  of  the  three  Jesuits  —  that  i.% 
the  Fathers  Jean  Bruno,  Jean  Baptiste  ^lien,  and 
Jerome  Dandiric  —  who  were  sent,  in  1581,  by  Gre- 
gory XIII.,  and  afterwards  by  Clement  VIII.  Gre- 
gory sent  the  first  two  to  induce  the  Maronites  to 
accept  the  Council  of  Trent ;  and  Clement  sent  the 
last  to  cause  them  to  abjure,  in  a  synod  of  the  Patri- 
arch, the  Maronite  bishops  and  priests,  the  errors 
of  a  schismatic  Council.  The  Council  of  Trent  was 
received,  and  the  schism  proscribed. 

During  our  short  stay  at  Canobin,  the  Patriarch 
showed  us  the  honor  of  always  eating  with  himself 
and  the  monks.  The  most  perfect  frugality  is  ob- 
served  there.    Vegetables   prepared   with  oil,  some 


MONASTERIES  OF  MOUNT  LEBANON.       93 


radishes,  and  a  little  salt  fish,  with  bread,  dry  and 
black,  composed  all  the  entertainment  which  they 
gave  us.  But  the  wine  was  excellent,  and  we  do  not 
drink  better  in  France. 

The  Patriarch  made  all  the  solicitations  possible  to 
detain  us  a  longer  time  in  his  monastery  ;  but,  the  day 
of  our  departure  having  been  fixed,  we  took  our  leave, 
after  having  assisted  in  the  ser\uce  in  the  night,  and 
celebrated  the  Holy  Mass.  The  Patriarch  did  us  the 
honor  to  give  us  his  own  ornaments,  which  were  very 
appropriate.  We  asked  his  blessing,  and  departed. 
He  sent  with  us  his  deacon  to  serve  as  our  guid^  on 
the  rop-ds  in  which  it  would  be  difficult  to  find  our 
way. 

Within  a  stone's  throw  of  the  gate  of  the  monastery, 
we  found  the  chapel  dedicated  to  Saint  Mazine.  The 
whole  country,  filled  with  the  odor  of  the  sanctity  of 
this  virgin,  preserves  for  her  an  extraordinary  venera- 
tion. No  one  calls  in  question  what  the  historians 
report  of  her  life.  They  tell  us  that  this  virgin,  acting 
under  a  divine  inspiration,  concealed  her  sex  under  a 
religious  habit,  and,  clothed  in  this  dress,  served  God 
for  many  years.  They  add  that,  God  having  per- 
mitted her  to  be  accused  of  a  fault  with  a  female  in 
the  neighborhood,  she  was  condemned  by  the  Superior 
to  go  through  a  severe  penance  in  the  cave,  which  is 
to-day  the  chapel  in  which  she  is  honored  ;  but  that 
God,  who  always  regards  the  interests  of  his  servants, 
whether  male  or  female,  at  her  death  caused  the 
innocence  of  this  illustrious  virgin  to  shine  forth, 
and   pioclaimed   her  virtue   to  the   world   by  many 


94 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


remarkable    miracles,   which    were    wrought  at  her 
tomb. 

After  having  offered  up  our  prayers  at  this  holy 
chapel,  we  proceeded  on  our  way  to  Saint  Anthony, 
which  is  about  two  leagues  distant  from  Canobin. 
To  reach  there,  it  was  necessary  to  climb  the  most 
rugged  mountain  I  have  ever  seen,  and  then  to  de- 
scend it.  The  Monastery  of  Saint  Anthony  is  situated 
on  the  side  next  to  an  exceedingly  steep  rock.  There 
were  there  at  that  time  thirty  of  the  Alepin  monks, 
of  whom  I  have  already  spoken.  Besides  these  monks 
there  are  twelve  priests.  The  Bishop  Abdule,  their 
founder  and  first  Superior  before  he  became  a  Bishop, 
received  us  with  great  kindness.  This  prelate  lives 
in  the  monastery  the  life  of  a  true  saint.  He  is 
lodged  as  simply  as  the  monks,  and,  however  austere 
may  be  their  lives,  he  causes  his  to  be  still  more  so. 
He  is  not  distinguished  from  them  except  by  his  dress, 
which  is  of  a  violet  color. 

We  remained  there  nearly  two  entire  days,  to  enable 
us  to  see  the  mons  stery  and  its  environs.  The  mon- 
astery is  divided  into  two  parts,  which  are  separated 
from  each  other.  Each  part  has  its  church,  though 
the  Service  is  usually  performed  only  in  the  largest  of 
the  two.  The  only  ornament  of  the  two  churches 
consists  in  their  neatness.  The  prelate  conducted 
us  to  other  caves,  which  are  also  used  as  chapels. 
We  saw  one  among  them  which  is  large  and  beautiful, 
and  dedicated  to  Saint  Michael.  It  contains  three 
altars,  and  two  small  chambers  for  the  monks,  who 
perform  there  their  spiritual  exercises.     On  the  brow 


o 


i 


MONASTERIES  OF  MOUNT  LEBANON.       95 


of  the  mountain  opposite  are  two  other  caves,  where 
two  monks  of  the  monastery  lead  an  entirely  solitary 
life.  They  never  go  out,  and  never  speak  to  any  one 
except  to  the  Superior,  when  they  each  day  confess  to 
him.  They  are  both  priests,  and  say  Mass  in  a  little 
chapel  formed  in  the  rock. 

It  is  impossible  for  any  one  to  be  more  edified  than 
I  have  been  by  the  pious  works  which  I  saw  per- 
formed by  the  monks  in  this  monastery.  After  hav- 
ing passed  two  days  with  them,  I  took  leave  of  the 
Bishop  Abdule,  who  gave  me  a  guide,  who  was  very 
necessary  to  enable  me  to  cross  mountains  on  the 
edge  of  precipices,  and  to  reach  Arg^s  by  roads  with 
which  we  were  unacquainted. 

From  Arg^s  to  Tripoli  it  is  but  four  leagues.  These 
four  leagues  are  over  a  single  plain,  which  is  very 
pleasant,  planted  with  olives  and  many  other  trees  of 
different  kinds.  I  arrived  happily  at  Tripoli,  from 
which  I  had  set  out.  There,  thanks  to  God !  I  re- 
sumed the  duties  of  our  mission.  The  infectious  dis- 
eases prevailing  have  increased  our  labors,  but  the 
danger  which  is  inseparable  from  them  has  not  dimin- 
ished the  zeal  of  our  missionaries.  We  should  be 
ashamed  not  to  imitate  them.  As  we  have  continual 
need  of  the  grace  of  God,  we  would  ask  you  and  all 
our  Fathers  to  beseech  God  for  us  in  their  Holy 
Sacrifices.  I  am,  with  respectful  attachment  for  your 
Reverence,  my  Reverend  Father,  your  humble  and 
obedient  servant,  &c. 


HISTORICAL  SCENES, 


V. 


THE   KNIGHTS  OF  MALTA. 


1711. 


[The  story  of  the  Knights  of  Saint  John  is  one  of  the  most 
romantic  chapters  in  the  history  of  the  world.  The  offspring  of 
the  Crusades,  called  into  being  not  only  to  contend  against  the 
infidel,  but  more  especially  to  minister  to  their  brethren  in  the 
hospitals  at  Jerusalem,  we  trace  them  from  their  first  home  in 
the  Holy  Land,  to  Cyprus,  Candia,  and  Rhodes,  tiU  we  find  them 
at  their  last  stronghold,  at  Malta. 

When  the  Jesuit  Father  wrote  the  account  of  his  visit  which 
follows,  the  glory  of  the  Order  had  begun  to  wane.  The  decay 
of  the  chivalrous  spirit  of  the  Middle  Ages,  and  more,  perhaps, 
the  change  in  the  manner  of  warfare  which  modern  science  had 
introduced,  entirely  altered  the  position  of  the  Knights.  The 
romance  had  departed.    They  no  longer  — 

"  Carved  at  the  meal 
With  the  gloves  of  steel, 
And,  drank  the  red  wine  through  the  helmet  barred." 

And  so  the  Order  continued  to  grow  less  and  less  useful  to  the 
world,  until,  in  1798,  the  French  took  the  Island  of  Malta,  and 
scattered  its  members.  Since  then  it  has  existed  merely  as  a 
name. 

There  is  no  date  to  this  letter ;  but,  comparing  it  with  some 
others  addressed  to  the  same  individual,  we  cannot  widely  err  in 
fixing  it  at  about  171 1.] 


Th 
so 


THE  KNIGHTS  OF  MALTA. 


97 


Letter  of  a  Missionary  in  Greece  to  Father  Fleurian. 


My  Reverend  Father,  —  It  is  in  obedience  to 
your  orders  that  I  have  the  honor  to  send  you  a  nar- 
rative of  our  voyage  from  Marseilles  to  Smyrna. 

We  have  safely  arrived  in  this  city  ;  and,  after  hav- 
ing here  returned  our  solemn  thanks  to  God  for  His 
continual  protection  during  our  voyage,  we  ought  also 
to  make  our  acknowledgments  to  you  for  having  ob- 
tained for  us  admission  into  the  ranks  of  the  Gospel 
laborers,  that  we  are  permitted  to  take  pa^t  in  their 
duties,  so  appropriate  to  our  Order. 

After  having  taken  leave  of  you  in  Paris,  we  re- 
paired to  Marseilles,  the  place  from  which  we  were  to 
embark.  There  we  waited  a  long  time  for  the  depart- 
ure of  a  good  vessel,  which  they  informed  us  every 
day  was  ready  to  sail.  At  length,  weary  of  this  long 
delay,  and  regretting  the  time  we  were  losing,  we 
embarked  in  a  little  merchant  vessel,  which  had  a 
crew  of  only  five  men.  The  captain,  however,  was  an 
honest  man,  who  was  very  desirous  of  receiving  us  on 
board  without  any  charge,  and  promised  to  land  us 
promptly  at  Smyrna. 

The  day  of  our  departure  being  as  beautiful  as  we 
could  wish,  we  had  reason  to  hope  that  our  captain 
would  fulfil  his  promise  ;  but,  the  weather  at  sea  be- 
ing as  inconstant  and  fickle  as  the  most  brilliant  for- 
'  anes  of  the  world,  we  presently  experienced  a  change. 
The  wind,  so  favorable,  suddenly  increased  in  violence, 
so  that  our  sails  and  our  little  vessel  were  rudely 

5  G 


98 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


shaken.  We  had  the  greatest  difficulty  in  keeping 
our  places  where  we  were  sitting.  I  do  not  speak  of 
other  inconveniences,  but  confine  myself  entirely  to 
those  which  are  experienced  at  sea. 

We  brought  with  us  a  young  surgeon,  who  was 
allotted  to  us  ;  for,  through  the  interest  of  his  medi- 
cal profession,  which  is  very  much  honored  in  the 
Levant,  we  can  gain  the  protection  of  the  Turkish 
officers,  and  have  the  houses  of  the  Christian  popula- 
tion opened  to  the  word  of  God. 

This  good  young  man,  who  had  never  before  been 
at  sea,  was  so  frightened  by  the  violence  of  the  wind 
that,  thinking  himself  lost,  he  came  to  me,  pale  as 
death,  requesting  me  to  confess  him.  I  took  advan- 
tage of  this  good  impulse  to  have  him  perform  this 
pious  act.  In  a  little  while  afterwards,  the  wind  hav- 
ing calmed,  his  fears  calmed  equally.  But,  however 
high  had  been  the  wmd,  we,  nevertheless,  could  not 
complain  of  it,  for  its  violence  had  served  to  advance 
js  on  our  way. 

On  the  third  day  after  our  departure,  we  doubled 
the  Island  of  Saint  Peter,  which  is  the  point  of  that  of 
Sardinia.  We  looked  with  veneration  on  this  island, 
which  was  formerly  the  place  of  exile  of  so  many  holy 
bishops  and  other  defenders  of  our  faith,  who  there 
gloriously  ended  their  lives  in  one  long  martyrdom. 

After  having  passed  the  shores  of  Sardinia,  we 
thought  that  our  captain  would  stop  at  the  Island  of 
Malta.  But,  as  he  was  not  in  want  of  provisions,  he 
took  a  course  twenty-five  miles  distant  from  it,  leav- 
ing Malta  on  the  right.     A  gale  of  wind,  however. 


THE  KNIGHTS  OF  MALTA, 


99 


)ly 
ire 

Iwe 

of 

he 

lav- 

^er, 


followed,  which  treated  our  ship  so  roughly  as  to 
oblige  us  to  gain  as  quickly  as  possible  this  island, 
which  he  had  wished  to  avoid. 

We  arrived  there  at  a  convenient  hour  to  be  con- 
ducted to  the  House  of  the  Jesuits.  Our  Fathers 
received  us  there  with  much  kindness  and  love. 
There  we  found  Father  de  la  Motte,  Confessor  of  the 
French  Knights,  and  one  other  of  our  Fathers,  who  is 
appointed  here  to  teach  mathematics.  The  last  has 
since  died  at  Marseilles,  in  the  service  of  those  who 
were  attacked  by  the  plague. 

My  sick  fellow-traveller  was  in  a  little  while  recov- 
ered by  the  good  treatment  which  our  Fathers  gave 
him,  and  particularly  by  the  devotion  to  him  of  M. 
the  Chevalier  de  Sarasse,  who  is  perfectly  skilled  in 
the  medical  science,  and  who  honored  us  with  his 
friendship.  Our  captain,  obliged  to  remain  at  Malta 
much  longer  than  he  wished,  gave  us  sufficient  time  to 
see  every  thing  which  merited  the  notice  of  strangers. 
Two  of  our  Fathers  most  obligingly  offered  their  ser- 
vices to  accompany  us  wherever  we  wished  to  go,  and 
we  availed  ourselves  of  their  kindness. 

I  have  the  honor  to  say  to  you.  my  Reverend 
Father,  that  we  were  charmed,  as  are  all  strangers, 
with  the  beauty  of  the  island,  its  advantageous  situa- 
tion, the  construction  of  the  city,  built  on  an  exceed- 
ingly steep  rock,  and  defended  by  fortifications  which 
render  the  place  the  strongest  in  all  Europe.  But,^ 
after  having  seen  and  well  considered  every  thing 
which  merited  our  attention,  whether  on  the  island  or 
in  the  cities,  I  avow  to  you  that  I  have  seen  nothing 


lOO 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


which  appeared  more  worthy  of  admiration  and  praise 
than  the  wisdom  of  the  government  which  rules  there, 
the  perfect  order  which  is  everywhere  observed,  the 
noble  and  edifying  conduct  of  the  Knights,  joined  to 
their  extreme  politeness  to  every  one,  and  particularly 
to  strangers.  The  people  endeavor  to  imitate  as  much 
as  they  are  able  this  politeness  of  their  masters. 

The  Grand  Master  rules  as  a  sovereign  over  the 
people,  and  as  a  Superior  over  all  those  of  the  Order. 
He  has  constantly  at  his  court  a  very  great  number  of 
Knights  of  the  most  ancient  and  illustrious  houses  of 
all  Christian  nations;  for  they  knew  that  there  was 
nothing  which  conveyed  so  great  an  honor  as  to  be 
one  of  the  Knights  of  Malta. 

The  city  of  Malta  is  divided  into  three  parts  by  an 
arm  of  the  sea.  The  three  parts  are  three  cities,  and 
as  many  peninsulas.  The)'  are  fortified  by  the  rocks 
which  surround  them.  Art  and  nature  have  been  so 
happily  united  that  they  have  not  left  any  weak  point 
on  which  an  attack  could  easily  be  made. 

The  city  where  the  Grand  Master  makes  his  resi- 
dence is  the  principal  one.  It  is  named  La  Valette. 
The  isle  where  the  Inquisitor  lives  is  called  Le  Bourg  ; 
and  the  third  is  the  Island  of  Saint  Michel.  The  port 
which  contains  the  galleys  of  this  religious  Order  is 
the  largest  and  most  considerable.  It  is  defended  on 
one  side  by  the  Castle  of  Saint  Elmo,  and  on  the 
other  by  the  Castle  of  Saint  Ange.  These  are  the 
two  fortresses  which  keep  the  galleys  in  safety. 

One  person  with  whom  I  met  told  me  that  he  had 
counted   eighteen   hundred   pieces  of  cannon  which 


THE  KNIGHTS  OF  MALTA. 


lOI 


s 
in 


id 


defend  the  city  and  port,  and  I  think  the  actual 
number  is  much  greater.  The  city,  on  the  land  side, 
has  two  circles  of  fortifications,  which  are  cut  in  the 
rock.  The  houses  are  built  in  the  form  of  an  amphi- 
theatre. They  all  have  flat  roofs,  to  prevent  the  ef- 
fects of  a  bombardment ;  for,  in  case  of  a  siege,  they 
cover  the  houses  with  earth  and  dung,  which  deaden 
thTe  effects  of  the  bombs. 

The  city  is  very  finely  built,  the  houses  commodious 
and  highly  ornamented  ;  but  it  seems  as  if  Malta  had 
exhausted  all  its  magnificence  in  building  a  vast  and 
superb  hospital,  where  all  the  sick,  of  whatever  na- 
tion, condition,  or  faith,  are  received,  cared  for,  and 
entertained,  generally  in  every  respect  gratuitously. 

Although  the  Order  of  the  Knights  of  Malta  is 
by  its  institution  a  religious  one,  it  does  not  omit  to 
be  an  Order  of  religious  Knights  Hospitalers.  The 
Order  has  therefore  kept  in  view  constantly  and 
carefully  the  object  of  its  establishment ;  for,  while 
the  Knights  have  always  arms  in  their  hands  to  com- 
bat the  enemies  of  the  faith,  they  are  also  always  pre- 
pared to  exercise  their  charity  towards  the  sick  in  the 
hospital.  To  enable  all  the  Knights  to  have  the 
opportunity  of  practising  this,  each  hall  or  priory  has 
its  day  designated  for  coming  to  serve  the  sick.  The 
Knights  of  the  Auberge  of  Provence  have  Monday ; 
the  Auberge  of  France,  Tuesday ;  the  Auberge  of 
Auvergne,  Wednesday ;  the  Auberge  of  Castile, 
Thursday  ;  the  Auberge  of  Arragon,  Friday ;  the 
Auberge  of  Italy,  Saturday;  and  that  of  Germany, 
Sunday.     The  sick  are  served  in  vessels  of  silver. 


102 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


The  Grand  Master,  preceded  by  the  Knights'  Grand 
Cross,  comes  every  morning,  and  often  in  the  after- 
noon, to  visit  the  hospital,  to  learn  for  himself  if  the 
commanders  have  discharged  their  duty  towards  the 
sick,  and  if  they  ?  e  well  cared  for  and  want  nothing. 
If  among  the  sic.  he  finds  any  of  the  Knights,  the 
Grand  Master  waits  on  them  himself. 

I  do  not  think  it  is  possible  tor  a  person  to  see  any 
thing  more  edifying  than  the  order  which  is  observed 
in  the  hospital.  The  charity  of  the  Knights  is  car- 
ried so  far  that  one  may  often  see  them  practising 
among  themselves  acts  of  virtue  to  be  compared  with 
those  which  we  admire  in  the  greatest  saints. 

The  Bishop  of  Malta,  the  Prior  of  the  Church  of  Saint 
John,  and  the  Grand  Inquisitor,  have  each  their  spirit- 
ual jurisdiction.  The  Prior,  who  is  the  spiritual  guide 
of  the  Knights,  has  the  principal  authority.  Except 
the  power  of  conferring  Orders,  he  has  all  the  other 
authority  Vv^hich  appertains  to  Bishops.  He  wears  the 
Episcopal  ornaments,  approves  the  confessors  for  the 
Knights,  and  regulates  the  duties  of  the  clergy. 

The  Bishop  makes  his  residence  at  Citta  Vecchia. 
His  church  is  beautiful,  the  canons  wearing  the  violet 
hood,  like  the  Bishops.  The  Church  of  Saint  John  is 
the  principal  church  of  our  faith,  and  the  most  richly 
ornamented.  Among  the  most  remarkable  of  their 
treasures,  we  saw  two  large  figures  of  silver,  of  the 
size  of  life,  the  one  representing  Saint  John  and  the 
other  Saint  Luke.  They  are  placed  on  the  two  sides  of 
the  grand  altar.  Between  the  choir  and  the  nave  is  a 
lamp  of  silver,  which  cost,  it  is  said,  sixty  thousand 


THE  KNIGHTS  OF  MALTA. 


103 


crowns  of  Malta.  It  was  a  gift  from  the  Commander 
Fardella  de  Trapano.  Each  language  of  the  Knights 
has  its  particular  chapel  in  the  church.  These  chapels 
are  incrusted  with  the  most  beautiful  marbles. 

In  the  Faubourg  of  Citta  Vecchia  we  saw  a  very 
handsome  chapel,  dedicated  to  the  great  Apostle  Saint 
Paul.  At  the  side  of  the  chapel  can  be  seen  a  cave, 
to  which,  tradition  tells  us,  the  holy  Apostle  withdrew, 
for  the  space  of  three  months  and  some  days,  after  his 
shipwreck.  The  Acts  of  the  Apostles,  which  have 
informed  us  of  the  circumstances,  have  not  left  us 
ignorant  of  another  occurrence.  They  relate  that 
Paul  and  his  companions,  having  kindled  a  large  fire 
to  dry  their  clothes,  a  viper  came  forth  from  the  midst 
of  the  brambles,  fastened  itself  on  the  hand  of  Paul, 
and  attached  itself  there  so  thoroughly  that  those 
present,  who  were  witnesses  of  it,  did  not  doubt  that 
the  sting  of  the  venomous  reptile  would  cause  his 
death.  But  they  were  much  surprised  when  they  saw 
that  the  Apostle  had  only  to  shake  his  hand  to  rid 
himself  of  it,  and  that  his  hand  remained  as  uninjured 
as  it  was  before.  This  occurrence  caused  them  to 
regard  him  in  Malta  as  a  wonderful  person. 

Since  that  time  the  Island  of  Malta  has  enjoyed  a 
privilege  which  is  singular  and  remarkable.  It  is  that 
vipers  and  other  venomous  reptiles,  which  carry  their 
venom  wherever  they  drag  themselves,  are  not  found 
there,  and  those  even  which  they  carry  thither  lose  it 
when  they  enter  the  island.  We  can  well  believe  that 
this  favor  of  Heaven  has  been  granted  to  the  Island 
of  Malta  in  memory  of  the  kind  reception  which  its 


104 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


inhabitants  formerly  gave  to  the  Apostle  of  the  Gen- 
tiles, who  is  still  here  an  object  of  public  veneration 
and  devotion. 

We  found,  not  only  at  the  Grotto  of  Saint  Paul,  but 
also  through  all  the  island,  the  eyes  and  tongues  of 
serpents.  The  travellers  did  not  fail  to  take  some  of 
them  away  with  them,  the  common  opinion  being  that 
they  are  a  preservative  against  all  accidents  of  poison.* 
And  what  is  equally  surprising  is,  that,  whatever 
quantity  of  these  tongues  and  eyes  are  taken  away, 
the  number  seems  to  be  undiminished.  We  were 
told  the  same  thing  with  regard  to  the  earth  in  the 
Grotto  of  the  Apostle,  that,  in  proportion  as  it  is 
removed,  it  seems  to  reproduce  itself. 

To  return  to  the  Island  of  Malta.  It  is  estimated 
to  be  seven  leagues  in  length,  three  and  a  half  in 
breadth,  and  twenty-one  in  circumference.  Almost  the 
whole  island  is  composed  of  rock,  from  which  it  hap- 
pens that  it  is  not  fertile  in  vegetables,  but  those  they 
have  there  are  delicious.  We  need  not  expect  to  find 
forests  or  vineyards  ;  but,  for  compensation,  olives, 
oranges,  and  lemons  are  common  there,  and  their 
fruits  are  of  a  delightful  flavor.  We  saw  there,  in 
the  month  of  January,  the  last  of  the  almonds  still  in 
blossom.  A  country  where  the  residence  is  so  agree- 
able deserves  to  have  a  population  like  that  of  Malta. 

The  Maltese  speak  the  Arabic,  a  little  corrupted. 

1  These  pretended  tongues  of  serpents  are  only  petrifactions  of 
the  teeth  of  the  fish  Lamia,  or  Charcharias.  They  can  be  seen  in  any 
cabinet.  They  have  no  influence  in  counteracting  poison.  The  eyes 
of  serpents  belong  to  the  species  of  toad-stone,  and  are  also  petrifac- 
tions of  the  teeth  of  a  fish. 


THE  KNIGHTS   OF  MALTA. 


105 


The  men  are  almost  all  clothed  in  the  French  style, 
some  of  them  wearing  a  small  collar  and  a  large  black 
cloak.  The  priests  and  members  of  the  religious 
Orders  are  found  there  in  great  numbers.  Women 
and  girls  never  go  out  alone.  They  are  always  ac- 
companied by  a  slave,  or  have  one  following  them. 
Their  bearing  and  their  dress  are  so  modest  that  they 
might  be  taken  for  members  of  religious  bodies. 
They  wear  a  black  mantle  of  silk  or  serge,  which 
entirely  covers  them  from  head  to  foot. 

In  fine,  to  finish  all  that  I  can  say  of  the  Island  of 
Malta,  I  will  add  that  what  forms  its  principal  orna- 
ment and  its  glory  is  the  possession  of  a  great  num- 
ber of  illustrious  Knights,  whose  valor  is  equal  to 
their  birth.  They  have  the  honor  to  be  the  zealous 
defenders  of  our  faith.  They  are  prepared  at  all 
times  to  endure  the  dangers  of  the  sea,  and  to  expose 
their  lives  in  its  defence.  One  reads  with  admiration 
in  their  history  the  record  of  their  glorious  exploits 
and  the  wonderful  triumphs  of  their  arms.  But  what 
should  be  the  theme  of  an  eulogy  worthy  of  them  is 
that,  through  all  times,  at  Malta  and  elsewhere,  we  see 
these  Knights  practising  the  most  heroic  virtues  of 
Christianity.  These  illustrious  Knights  have  been, 
even  to  the  present  time,  an  infinite  honor  to  the 
faith. 

Malta  is  to-day  governed  by  a  Grand  Master  who  is 
worthy  of  the  office.  His  talents,  his  prudence,  and 
his  kindness  in  his  government,  have  gained  him  the 
veneration  and  love  of  all  Christian  nations,  who  are 
continually  sending  new  Knights  to  his  court. 


s 


io6 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


VI. 


THE  GRECIAN   ISLANDS. 
1711. 

[We  continue  an  account  of  the  voyage  of  the  Jesuit  Fathers, 
after  leaving  Malta,  not  only  to  give  his  sketches  of  some  of  the 
Grecian  islands  as  they  then  were,  but  also  to  show  what  travel- 
ling was  in  that  day,  when  a  voyage  from  Marseilles  to  Smyrna 
occupied  fifty-seven  days.] 

Continuation  of  Letter  to  Father  Fleurian* 

During  our  stay  at  Malta,  our  ship  was  entirely 
repaired.  Our  captain  having  given  us  notice  of  the 
day  of  his  departure,  we  took  leave  of  our  Fathers, 
returning  them  a  thousand  acknowledgments  for  their 
kindness  to  us.  It  was  winter,  but  the  air  was  as  soft 
as  the  spring.  The  wind  was  favorable  for  us,  the  sun 
lighted  up  every  thing,  and  the  surface  of  the  sea  was 
entirely  luminous  with  it.  A  shoal  of  dolphins,  enjoy- 
ing the  balmy  air,  gambolled  together  at  the  bows  of 
our  vessel.  We  saw  them  raise  themselves  in  the  air, 
leaping  entirely  out  of  the  water.  During  a  large  por- 
tion of  our  voyage  we  enjoyed  this  diverting  spectacle. 
A  change  of  weather  deprived  us  of  it.  A  high  wind 
arose ;  but,  happily  being  in  the  rear,  it  caused  us  to 
advance  with  such  speed,  that,  if  it  had  continued,  we 
would  have  reached  Smyrna  in  four  days. 


THE  GRECIAN  ISLANDS. 


107 


The  following  night  we  were  driven  from  our  course. 
Instead  of  approaching  Smyrna,  we  were  obliged  to 
make  for  the  Island  of  Sapienza.  This  island  forms 
the  point  of  the  Morea  at  the  southern  side.  It  is 
distant  but  one  league  by  sea  from  the  city  of  Modon, 
the  capital  of  the  province  of  Betueder^,  in  the  Morea. 

This  sea  being  much  infested  by  pirates,  our  people 
did  not  dare  to  leave  the  ship  for  the  purpose  of  see- 
ing the  city  of  Modon.  We  contented  ourselves  with 
merely  landing  to  breathe  the  fresh  air  of  the  island. 
There  is  nothing  curious  to  attract  travellers,  as  there 
are  neither  cities  nor  villages  nor  houses.  Some 
Arabs,  watching  their  goats,  were  the  only  persons 
v/e  encountered.  They  have  dug  among  the  rocks 
to  procure  shelter  for  themselves  and  their  flocks,  and 
there  they  live  like  savages. 

While  walking  one  day  on  the  island  with  one  of 
our  fellow-travellers,  we  saw  two  of  these  men  coming 
towards  us  with  astonishing  speed,  passing  through 
the  thick  bushes,  and  climbing  the  rocks  with  the 
agility  of  their  own  goats.  Their  figure  was  as  bar- 
barous as  their  dress.  These  two  men  were  huge 
Albanians,  armed  with  large  clubs,  crooked,  and  bound 
with  iron.  They  approached  us,  and,  in  a  fierce  tone, 
demanded  of  us,  in  a  jargon  of  Italian,  "who  we  were, 
and  where  we  were  going."  We  answered  them,  but 
in  the  mildest  tone,  "  that  we  were  French,  on  our  way 
to  the  archipelago,  and  that  our  ship  was  at  anchor." 
They  then  left  us  abruptly,  without  saying  an^'  thing 
more  ;  and  we  saw  them  repair  to  a  height  from  which 
they  could  have  a  view  of  our  vessel. 


io8 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


On  our  return,  we  related  our  adventure  to  our 
fellow-passengers.  The  next  day  one  of  them,  who 
said  "  he  had  no  fear  of  this  kind  of  people,"  had  the 
curiosity  to  land  at  the  island  to  see  them.  No  sooner 
had  he  put  his  foot  on  shore  than  our  two  Arabs> 
accompanied  by  two  others  of  an  equally  unprepos- 
sessing appearance,  fell  upon  him,  seized  him  by  the 
collar,  and  bound  him  to  a  tree,  with  his  hands  behind 
his  back.  "  It  is  you,  then,"  they  said  to  him,  "or  one 
of  the  others  with  you,  who  have  been  stealing  our 
goats.  It  will  cost  you  your  life."  Then  one  of  them 
put  his  knife  to  his  throat,  while  the  others  searched 
his  pockets.  They  took  away  every  thing  they  found 
there,  and  stripped  him  of  his  clothes,  leaving  him 
nothing  but  his  shirt.  This  matter  being  accom- 
plished, three  of  them  escaped  with  their  booty; 
while  the  fourth  unbound  the  sufferer,  and  then  fol- 
lowed his  companions. 

Our  fellow-traveller,  who  had  prided  himself  on  his 
bravery  at  all  hazards,  returned  to  the  vessel  with  the 
only  garment  which  the  four  Arabs  had  left  him.  He 
was  fortunate  enough  to  find  there  charitable  people 
who  would  give  him  clothes,  of  which  he  had  such 
need.  After  this  last  adventure,  none  of  our  voyagers 
had  the  temerity  to  land  and  walk  in  the  island  during 
the  four  days  that  we  waited  for  the  wind  to  enable  us 
to  put  to  sea. 

We  set  sail  again  on  the  30th  of  January,  at  six 
o'clock  in  the  morning.  Sailing  round  the  Morea, 
from  which  we  were  distant  but  three  or  four  leagues, 
we  passed  Coron,  and  doubled  the  Cape  of  Matapan. 


THE  GRECIAN  ISLANDS. 


109 


On  the  2 1st,  we  found  ourselves  at  daybreak  between 
Cerigo  and  Cape  St.  Angelo,  and  some  time  after- 
wards we  came  in  sight  of  Malvoisie,  which  they  say 
is  the  most  important  place  in  the  Morea.  This  city 
was  formerly  called  Epidaurus.  It  is  situated  on  a 
high  rock,  at  the  foot  of  which  commences  the  Gulf 
of  Napoli  and  Romani.  The  eastern  side,  by  which 
they  descend  the  rock  to  the  sea,  produces  that  excel- 
lent Malvoisie  wine,  the  reputation  of  which  is  so  wide- 
spread. 

Here  we  left  the  Morea  to  enter  the  archipelago, 
passing  the  kingdom  of  Candia  on  our  right.  Up  to 
the  present  time  we  had  enjoyed  weather  as  warm 
as  that  of  spring  ;  but,  a  high  north  wind  having  sud- 
denly commenced,  we  experienced  such  extreme  cold 
that  we  found  it  necessary  to  look  for  our  coats,  and 
to  wrap  ourselves  in  them.  The  shores  of  the  Morea, 
which  were  covered  with  snow,  sent  us  the  cold  wind 
we  experienced  ;  but,  in  addition  to  the  cold,  we  found 
the  wind  so  strong  that  we  were  obliged  the  next  day 
to  land  at  the  port  of  Paros,  one  league  distant  from 
Naxos.  Unhappily  for  us,  we  could  not  remain  there  ; 
for  our  captain  felt  obliged  to  sail  for  Argentaria,  a 
little  island  of  the  archipelago,  situated  between  Milo 
and  Siphanto. 

This  port  is  very  good  ;  and  scarcely  had  we  cast 
anchor  when  two  Greeks  of  the  island  came  aboard. 
With  a  pleasant  manner,  they  said  that  they  had  come 
to  present  to  us  the  compliments  of  the  French  con- 
sul on  our  arrival,  and  to  offer  us  refreshments.  We 
received  this  politeness  with  the  thanks  it  deserved, 


no 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


and  felt  that  it  obliged  us  to  go  ourselves  and.  make 
our  acknowledgments  to  the  consul  at  his  house.  We 
took  with  us  the  two  Greeks  to  show  the  way. 

The  residence  of  the  consul  is  within  three  quarters 
of  a  league  of  the  port.  We  found  him  there,  in  com- 
pany with  the  English  consul.  Both  are  natives  of 
the  country,  and  members  of  the  most  important  fam- 
ilies of  the  island.  They  received  us  with  much  kind- 
ness ;  and,  after  the  first  compliments,  the  French 
consul  caused  a  collation  to  be  served  up  for  us.  He 
then  proposed  that  we  should  go  and  see  the  city. 
The  two  consuls  accompanied  us.  It  did  not  take  us 
much  time  to  make  the  round  ;  for  it  is  a  collection 
of  but  one  hundred  and  fifty  houses,  and  the  inhabi- 
tants only  number  eight  or  nine  hundred  persons. 
The  streets  are  so  narrow  that  it  is  difficult  for  two 
persons  to  walk  side  by  side. 

We  found  in  this  city  (which  is  more  a  village  than 
a  city)  a  few  French  families,  who  carried  on  some 
little  trade  for  a  support.  These  French  people  were 
immediately  informed  of  our  arrival,  and  came  to  find 
us,  with  every  expression  of  pleasure.  They  were 
delighted  to  hear  news  from  their  own  country,  and 
we  were  able  to  satisfy  all  their  demands,  as  a  narra- 
tive of  the  oldest  occurrences  was  news  to  them. 

We  shortly  after  received  the  visit  of  the  Greek 
Fathers,  and  the  other  principal  Greeks  of  the  city, 
who  showed  by  every  kind  of  expression  the  pleasure 
they  had  in  seeing  us.  They  asked  us  "  if  we  came 
to  found  a  mission  among  them.  We  have  not  for- 
gotten," they  said  to  us,  "  that  which  Father  Jacques 


THE  GRECIAN  ISLANDS. 


Ill 


Xavier  Portier  and  his  associate  made  to  us,  many 
years  ago.  Our  children  were  ignorant,  and  they 
taught  them.  Many  among  us  were  at  variance  with 
each  other,  and  they  reconciled  us.  We  did  not  live 
as  Christians,  and  they  persuaded  us  to  make  confes- 
sion and  come  to  the  Holy  Sacrament,  from  which  we 
had  been  far  reinoved  for  a  long  time.  In  short,  they 
taught  us  our  duties.  Since  that  time  we  have  wan- 
dered from  the  true  way  which  they  had  pointed  out 
to  us.  Come,  then,"  they  added,  "  cause  us  to  return 
to  it.  Come  to  restore  to  us  the  happiness  which  the 
presence  of  Father  Jacques  Xavier  Portier  gave  us, 
and  which  his  absence  has  caused  us  to  lose." 

These  words,  which  we  saw  proceeded  from  their 
hearts,  sensibly  affected  us.  We  assured  them  that 
we  had  arrived  from  France  disposed  to  render  them 
any  service  ;  but,  not  being  acquainted  with  their  lan- 
guage, we  should  be  obliged  to  learn  it  to  put  ourselves 
into  a  condition  to  be  understood  by  them  and  our- 
selves to  understand  them.  They  were  contented  with 
our  answer.  The  unfavorable  weather  which  had 
obliged  us  to  stop  at  Argentaria  detained  us  there 
twenty  entire  days,  without  our  being  able  to  leave. 
Not  to  be  entirely  useless,  we  gave  our  instructions  to 
the  French,  and  taught  the  Catechism  to  their  chil- 
dren. The  Greeks  and  French  assisted  at  our  Masses. 
The  officers  of  our  ship,  the  sailors,  and  our  fellow- 
travellers  met  there,  and  always  set  a  good  example. 
Many  of  them  received  the  Communion.  These  good 
works  consoled  us  for  the  delay  of  our  departure. 

We  took  advantage  of  the  first  favorable  weather  to 


\ 


112 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


leave  the  port  of  Argentaria.  The  same  evening  we 
came  to  anchor  at  Siphanto,  anciently  Siphnos,  an 
island  larger  and  richer  than  that  of  Argentaria. 
The  next  morning  we  left  there  with  a  favorable 
wind,  which  by  evening  took  us  to  Myconos.  The 
island,  which  at  the  present  day  has  this  name,  is  one 
of  the  Cyclades  in  the  iEgean  Sea.  We  learned  on  our 
arrival  that  there  were  a  large  number  of  Roman  Cath- 
olics there.  We  were  conducted  to  the  residence  of 
the  Cur6  to  ask  his  permission  to  say  Mass.  The 
Cur6,  though  a  Greek  by  birth,  followed  the  Latin  rite. 
He  was  supported  by  the  Society  of  the  Propaganda 
to  minister  to  the  Roman  Catholics.  His  parishioners, 
being  informed  of  our  arrival,  came  to  his  house  to 
salute  us,  where  they  all  received  us  with  much  kind- 
ness and  love. 

They,  too,  spoke  of  the  mission  which  Father 
Jacques  Xavier  Portier  had  founded  among  them  some 
years  before.  "  We  have  need  of  a  second  mission," 
they  said.  "  If  he  knew  it,  he  would  soon  come  to 
our  r'^lief,  for  he  had  a  great  zeal  for  our  salvation." 
We  engaged  to  procure  for  them  the  new  mission 
which  they  desired.  On  the  following  morning  we 
performed  Mass,  at  which  a  great  number  assisted, 
with  a  devotion  which  charmed  us.  Not  being  ac- 
quainted either  with  the  common  Greek  language  or 
the  corrupt  Italian,  which  is  used  here,  we  could  not 
give  them  any  instruction.  We  could  only  address 
to  them  some  words  through  the  interpreter. 

After  twenty-four  hours'  stay  on  this  island,  we  took 
leave  of  the  Cur6,  who  with  his  parishioners  wished  to 


THE  GRECIAN  ISLANDS. 


113 


accompany  us  even  to  the  vessel,  entreating  us  to 
return  in  a  short  time  to  their  island.  We  embarked 
in  their  presence  with  so  favorable  a  wind  that  we 
were  carried  forty  leagues  in  less  than  twelve  hours. 
On  the  1 6th  of  February  we  arrived  at  the  Islands  of 
Spalmadori,  and  afterAvards  found  ourselves  within 
cannon-range  of  the  Island  of  Chios.  My  two  Jesuit 
associates  had  the  same  great  desire  with  myself  to 
see  this  island,  to  be  ourselves  witnesses  of  all  that  we 
had  heard  of  the  zeal  of  the  Catholics  who  dwell  there  ; 
but  our  wishes  could  not  at  that  time  be  gratified. 
We  continued  our  voyage,  leaving  the  archipelago, 
and  entering  the  Sea  of  Natoli-in-Asia. 

To  the  present  time  I  had  supposed,  when  leaving 
France,  that  we  should  find  in  the  Levant  a  continual 
summer,  and  a  warmth  which  might  even,  perhaps,  be 
too  great.  But  experience  convinced  us  of  the  contrary  ; 
for  we  now  encountered  the  most  piercing  cold,  which 
obliged  us  and  all  our  officers  to  clothe  ourselves  in 
our  warmest  dresses. 

We  were  now  distant  from  Smyrna  only  a  good 
day's  sail,  and  were  in  hopes  of  reaching  there  ;  but 
the  wind  became  so  light  that  we  were  not  able  to 
make  any  progress.  We  had  also  another  misad- 
venture which  delayed  us.  At  daybreak  we  saw  five 
Turkish  vessels  on  their  way  from  Constantinople  to 
Chios.  A  man-of-war  of  thirty  guns,  having  detached 
itself  from  the  other  four  ships,  approached  us,  and 
ordered  us  to  come  on  board.  As  they  were  much 
the  strongest,  it  was  necessary  to  obey  without  any 
reply.     The   captain  of  the  man-of-war   caused  our 


H 


114 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


captain  to  come  aboard  his  ship,  and  sent  three  Turks 
to  visit  us.  Happily  they  did  not  rind  any  merchan- 
dise that  was  contraband.  As  soon  as  they  had  made 
their  report,  the  commander  of  the  five  ships  con- 
tented himself  with  thoroughly  questioning  our  cap- 
tain on  the  state  of  things  at  Malta  and  Sicily,  and 
sent  him  back  to  us.  Our  captain  on  his  return 
saluted  the  Turkish  vessels  with  a  discharge  of  can- 
non. They  returned  the  same  salute,  and  continued 
on  their  course. 

The  calm,  followed  by  head-winds,  delayed  our  en- 
trance into  the  Gulf  of  Smyrna.  At  last,  the  time 
came  when  we  were  able  to  double  Cape  Bouroun, 
which  is  the  point  of  the  Gulf  of  Smyrna.  We  were 
charmed  with  the  view  from  this  place.  The  gulf  is 
about  fifteen  leagues  in  length  and  eight  in  breadth. 
The  sides  are  covered  with  olive-trees.  We  saw  in 
the  distance  a  great  number  of  ships,  which  were  in 
the  roadstead,  while  the  view  was  terminated  by  the 
city  of  Smyrna. 

We  reached  the  city  at  noon  on  the  15th  of  Febru- 
ary, our  voyage  by  sea  having  been  fifty-seven  days, 
in  the  roughest  part  of  the  winter ;  but,  thanks  to 
God !  we  arrived  in  perfect  health. 


GLIMPSES  OF  THE  COURT  OF  CHINA.       II5 


VII. 

GLIMPSES   OF  THE  COURT   OF  CHINA. 

1773- 

[The  Jesuit  missionaries  are  the  only  foreigners  who  have  ever 
penetrated  to  the  interior  of  Chinese  life.  Trained  in  the  lan- 
guage, they  carried  with  them  not  only  scientific  men,  but  work- 
men skilled  in  every  accomplishment  which  could  attract  the 
attention  of  the  rulers  of  the  country,  and  gain  for  them  an 
influence  at  Court  The  consequence  was  that,  at  Oi-e  time  in 
the  seventeenth  century,  tl.?  members  of  the  Society  of  Jesus 
were  at  the  head  of  all  the  scientific  schools,  and  even  were 
employed  in  many  departments  of  the  arts.  As  early  as  the 
sixteenth  century  they  had  penetrated  to  the  Imperial  Court,  and 
were  often  the  advisers  of  the  Emperor.  Of  this  the  following 
letter  furnishes  a  good  illustration,  Written  a  century  ago,  it  is 
the  only  narrative  with  which  we  are  acquainted  giving  any  views 
of  the  interior  of  Chinese  royal  life. 

We  learn  from  a  letter  of  one  of  the  other  Jesuits,  at  Pekin, 
that  Father  Benoit  died  there,  October  23,  1774,  less  than  a 
year  after  he  had  written  the  following  letter.  He  was  born  at 
Autun,  France,  October  8,  1725.] 

Letter  of  Father  Benoit,  Missionary  at  Pekin, 

November  \th,  f^JlZ' 

You  are  aware,  Monsieur,  that  it  is  necessary  for 
the  new  missionaries  who  come  to  Pekin  by  order  of 
the  Emperor  to  be  presented  to  his  Majesty  a  short 
time  after  their  arrival.     But  you  are  probably  not 


Ii6 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


aware  that,  when  they  appear  before  him,  custom  re- 
quires that  they  should  make  him  some  presents. 
Two  new  missionaries  having  therefore  arrived  at  our 
House  on  the  12th  of  January,  in  this  year,  1773, — 
Father  Mericourt,  with  the  title  of  clockmaker,  and 
Brother  Pansi,  in  the  capacity  of  painter, —  our  Fa- 
ther Superior  charged  me  to  make  all  the  necessary 
arrangements  for  their  presentation.  The  letter  which 
to-day  I  have  the  honor  to  write  you,  will  have  for  its 
object  to  show  the  success  of  this  commission,  which 
was  exceedingly  embarrassing,  and  which  I  discharged 
in  the  best  manner  I  possibly  could.  You  will  find 
in  my  letter  some  detailed  accounts,  little  known  in 
Europe,  of  the  interior  of  the  palace,  some  customs 
of  the  Court,  and  the  manner  of  life  of  this  powerful 
Emperor. 

Among  the  different  presents  which  these  new- 
comers had  to  offer  was  a  magnificent  telescope  of  a 
new  invention,  which  M.  Bertin  had  sent  us  during 
the  last  year.  The  Minister  of  State  was  pleased  to 
arrange  for  us  these  gifts  of  our  glorious  and  beloved 
monarch.  There  was  also  a  picture  painted  by  Brother 
Pansi,  and  an  air-pump,  which  our  Superior-General 
(Father  le  F^vre)  had  sent  us  from  Canton.  These 
were  the  most  remarkable  of  the  presents  destined 
for  the  Emperor. 

The  first  point  was  to  contrive  that  his  Majesty 
should  become  acquainted  with  the  value  of  the  tel- 
escope and  the  use  of  the  air-pump  ;  for  it  often  hap- 
pened that  curious  articles  presented  to  the  Emperor 
were  either  refused  by  him,  or,  if  he  favorably  received 


GLIMPSES  OF  THE  COURT  OF  CHINA.       11/ 


them,  they  were  placed  in  the  store-house,  where  they 
remained  without  being  used,  and  indeed  entirely  for- 
gotten. As  to  the  air-pump,  I  had  toiled  over  it  for 
several  months  to  place  it  in  proper  condition.  I  had 
prepared,  in  Chinese,  an  explanation,  as  much  with 
regard  to  the  theory  as  its  practical  uses,  from  which 
I  had  selected  about  twenty  of  the  most  curious,  and 
I  had  caused  to  be  drawn,  with  Chinese  ink,  diagrams 
which  explained  them.  This  explanation,  which 
formed  a  small  volume,  was  to  be  presented  to  the 
Emperor  before  he  received  the  machine. 

We  had  now  entered  on  the  twelfth  Chinese  month, 
when  the  public  offices  are  closed,  and  the  courts  of 
justice  have  vacation  to  the  twenty-first  of  the  first 
month  of  the  following  year.  During  this  period  of 
leisure,  no  business  is  entertained  except  that  which 
it  is  necessary  promptly  to  discharge.  The  Emperor 
is  therefore  less  occupied  than  at  other  times  of  the 
year,  but  he  is  also  more  engaged  in  religious  cere- 
monies, or  in  spectacles  in  the  interior  of  the  palace. 
It  was  necessary,  then,  to  urge  upon  them  the  presen- 
tation of  the  two  new  missionaries.  I  addressed 
myself,  therefore,  to  the  officers  of  the  palace  who 
arrange  affairs  of  this  kind.  They  fixed  upon  the 
1 2th  of  January,  being  the  twenty-sixth  of  the  twelfth 
month.  The  evening  preceding  I  caused  the  presents 
to  be  carried  thither ;  and,  as  the  petition  for  presen- 
tation should  reach  the  interior  of  the  palace  early  in 
the  day,  in  fear  lest  we  should  not  be  in  time,  I  in- 
trusted the  petition,  the  catalogue  of  the  presents, 
and  the  explanation  of  the  air-pump,  to  those  whose 


ii8 


HISTORICAL  SCENES, 


i 


duty  it  is  to  bring  matters  of  this  kind  before  the 
Emperor.  I  had  added  a  separate  letter,  to  be  also 
presented  to  his  Majesty,  in  which  I  had  stated  that, 
however  competent  Brother  Pansi  might  be  in  dif- 
ferent kinds  of  painting,  his  particular  talent  was  for 
portraits.  I  notified  them  also  with  regard  to  the 
air-pump,  that,  to  keen  it  in  a  serviceable  state,  it 
should  be  placed  in  a  temperate  atmosphere,  and 
sheltered  from  the  violent  cold  which  at  that  i;ime 
was  prevailing. 

The  next  day,  January  i8th,  our  Father  Superior 
and  myself,  with  some  other  members  of  our  Church, 
accompanied  the  two  new-comers.  The  petition  for 
presentation  and  the  other  papers  had  been  already 
sent  in.  Here  it  is  necessary,  summer  and  winter,  to 
be  very  much  on  the  alert.  Towards  nine  o'clock 
they  gave  us  notice  that  the  Emperor  had  read  the 
petition  for  presentation,  and  had  caused  the  presents 
to  be  brought  into  the  interior  of  the  palace,  so  that, 
when  his  Majesty  should  be  at  leisure,  he  could  see 
them  and  choose  those  which  pleased  him.  After 
mid-day  they  brought  back  those  of  the  presents 
which  the  Emperor  had  not  received,  and  made 
known  to  us  his  orders,  to  wit,  that  the  two  newly 
arrived  missionaries  should  immediately  enter  the 
palace,  each  one  to  give  an  exhibition  there  of  his 
art ;  that  Brother  Pansi  should  take  part  with  Fathers 
Damascene  and  Pi  sol  in  the  execution  of  six  pictures, 
for  which  his  Majesty  had  given  orders  ;  that  Father 
Mericourt  should  work  at  clock-making  with  Fathers 
Archange  and  de  Vantavon  ;  that  the  air-pump  should 


GLIMPSES  OF  THE  COURT  OF  CHINA.      1 1 9 


be  taken  to  you-y-koan  (which  is  the  place  where  the 
European  artists  are  at  work)  ;  and  that  in  the  spring, 
when  the  weather  was  milder,  Father  Sighelbare  and 
myself  should  exhibit  its  working  before  his  Majesty, 
and  explain  it  to  him.  These  were  the  first  orders  of 
the  Emperor,  the  greater  part  of  which  were  imme- 
diately afterwards  changed  The  presents  with  which 
the  Emperor  gratified  the  new  missionaries  were, 
according  to  custom,  six  small  pieces  of  silk  i"or  each 
one. 

The  Emperor  had  not  as  yet  positively  accepted  the 
telescope.  He  wished  first  to  know  what  it  was  and 
what  was  its  use.  I  was  called  to  explain  it,  and  con- 
ducted to  the  suite  of  apartments  where  the  Emperor 
then  was.  One  of  the  eunuchs  of  the  Presence  hav- 
ing come  out  of  the  chamber  in  which  his  Majesty 
was,  I  directed  the  telescope  towards  the  top  of  one  of 
the  roofs  of  the  palace,  the  most  distant  of  all  that  we 
could  see.  As  the  atmosphere  was  clear  and  without 
any  apparent  vapor,  the  eunuch  saw  the  top  of  the 
roof  so  distinctly  and  apparently  so  near,  that,  exceed- 
ingly surprised,  he  went  back  immediately  to  inform 
the  Emperor,  who  was  then  at  supper,  although  it  was 
only  two  hours  after  mid-day ;  the  custom  of  his  Ma- 
jesty being  to  sup  at  this  hour  and  to  dine  at  eight 
o'clock  in  the  morning,  spending  at  each  meal  not 
more  than  a  quarter  of  an  hour.  I  shall  have  occa- 
sion, in  the  future,  to  speak  more  at  large  as  to  what 
relates  to  the  repasts  of  the  Emperor. 

All  the  eunuchs  of  the  Presence  and  the  other 
officers  having  satisfied  their  curiosity  with  regard  to 


T^ 


I  20 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


• 

the  telescope,  they  placed  a  table  at  the  side  of  his 
Majesty's  apartment,  so  as  to  enable  me  to  arrange  it 
myself  and  direct  it  towards  some  object.  This  having 
been  done,  as  the  Emperor  had  now  finished  his  sup- 
per, the  eunuchs  requested  him  to  come  and  make 
trial  of  it.  The  Emperor  perceived  at  once  the  superi- 
ority of  this  instrument  to  any  which  he  had  hitherto 
seen.  He  appointed  two  of  the  eunuchs  to  carry  it 
always  with  him  whenever  he  went  out,  and  gave  me 
a  commission  to  instruct  them  in  the  manner  of  using 
and  arranging  it.  And  to  testify  more  fully  his  satis- 
:  action,  besides  the  silks  which  he  had  already  given 
to  the  new  missionaries,  he  caused  to  be  presented  to 
them  and  to  myself  three  large  pieces  of  silk,  one  of 
which  alone  was  worth  five  or  six  of  the  former. 

I  made  the  acknowledgments  in  the  customary  way, 
and  afterwards  was  ordered  to  bring  Brother  Pansi  to 
the  palace,  the  next  day,  to  receive  the  commands  of 
the  Emperor  as  to  what  he  should  do.  In  accordance 
with  this,  on  the  19th  of  January  I  conducted  the 
painter  to  Ki-siang-kong.  (This  is  the  place  in  the 
interior  of  the  palace,  where  the  Chinese  painters 
work  during  the  three  months  of  the  year  that  the 
Emperor  remains  at  Pekin.)  Ihere  they  notified  us 
that  the  Emperor  wished  Brother  Pansi  to  take  a  por- 
trait. While  I  was  waiting  until  every  thing  should 
be  prepared  for  the  commencement  of  this  work,  the 
eunuchs,  who  were  charged  with  the  care  of  the  tele- 
scope, brought  it  to  me,  that  I  might  continue  my  in- 
structions as  to  its  management.  They  told  me  that 
the  Emperor  had  ascended  a  tower,  upon  which  was 


GLIMPSES  OF  THE  COURT  OF  CHINA.       121 


a  platform,  and  from  this  they  had  directed  the  tele- 
scope to  some  distant  objects  ;  but,  ihe  weather  being 
foggy,  they  found  it  difficult  to  see  any  thing.  I  told 
them  they  should  not  be  surprised  at  this,  because 
the  glass,  in  increasing  the  size  of  the  objects,  in- 
creased also  the  vapors. 

The  next  day,  January  20th,  having  repaired  early 
in  the  morning  to  the  palace,  we  remained  there  in  a 
room  by  the  side  of  the  apartment  in  which  the  Em- 
peror then  was.  A  little  while  afterwards,  there  came 
to  us  a  page  of  twenty-seven  or  twenty-eight  years 
of  age,  whose  portrait  his  Majesty  wished  taken. 
Scarcely  had  Brother  Pansi  marked  out  the  first 
rough  sketch,  when  the  Emperor,  having  caused  it  to 
be  brought  to  him,  took  occasion  to  say,  in  sending  it 
back,  that  he  already  recognized  the  features  of  the 
young  man.  The  first  draught  having  been  made,  so 
that  Brother  Pansi  could  put  in  the  colors,  his  Maj- 
esty again  sent  for  it ;  and,  in  returning  it,  expressed 
anew  his  satisfaction.  He  caused  also  to  be  signified 
to  us  his  wishes,  particularly  with  regard  to  the  shad- 
ing, which  in  China  they  wish  to  be  laid  on  more 
lightly  than  in  Europe,  not  even  allowing  as  much  as 
is  necessary  to  bring  out  the  object  into  proper  relief. 
Nevertheless,  the  work  advanced,  and  from  time  to 
time  came  an  order  from  the  Emperor  to  have  it 
brought  to  him  ;  for  here,  on  the  slightest  indication 
of  a  wish  on  the  part  of  the  prince,  they  observe  rigor- 
ously the  rule  which  is  prescribed  in  Europe  to  the 
greater  part  of  the  members  of  the  religious  Orders,  to 

quit  all  work  at  the  least  signal,  to  which  they  should 
6 


m  > 


iiMjH! 


122 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


m\\ 


yield  their  obedience.  Brother  Pansi,  not  being  ac- 
customed to  have  his  work  so  interrupted,  was  very- 
uneasy.  He  was  afraid  that  the  Emperor,  in  seeing 
from  time  to  time  those  features  which  were  not  yet 
finished,  could  not  but  regard  the  painting  as  a  daub. 
I  reassured  him,  by  telling  him  that  this  could  not 
seem  so  to  the  Emperor,  who  was  accustomed  to 
watch  the  progress  of  pictures  he  had  ordered,  and 
that  th*^  same  course  was  pursued  with  regard  to 
Brothers  Castiglione,  Attiret,  and  others,  many  of 
whose  works  could  not  be  disowned  by  the  best 
painters  in  Europe. 

We  returned  to  the  palace,  according  to  our  orders, 
January  26th,  where  we  found  the  Chinese  painters 
and  the  Mandarins  of  painting,  in  company  with  whom 
they  conducted  us  to  Ki-siang-konp;  It  is  necessary 
to  mention,  in  noticing  every  tiling  which  relates  to 
the  interior  of  the  palace,  that  no  one,  whoever  he  may 
be,  whether  Prince  of  the  blood,  Minister  of  State, 
&c.,  is  allowed  to  enter  there,  unless  he  is  accom- 
panied by  the  eunuchs  ;  and  when  there  are  a  number, 
as  we  then  were,  —  Mandarins,  painters,  servants,  and 
Europeans,  —  they  count  them  all  without  distinction, 
one  by  one,  both  at  entering  and  coming  out. 

We  repaired  afterwards  to  the  same  place  where 
Brother  Pansi  had  begun  to  paint  the  young  page. 
He  was  going  on  with  the  portrait,  when  the  Em- 
peror, who  had  become  more  and  more  satisfied  with 
his  skill,  sent  to  us  to  say  that  he  could  discontinue 
the  portrait  he  had  commenced,  and  come  and  paint 
one  of   himself.     We  entered  immediately  into  the 


•* 


GLIMPSES  OF  THE  COURT  OF  CHINA.       1 23 


apartment  of  his  Majesty,  —  Brother  Pansi  and  my- 
self,—  where  we  at  first  were  going  through  the  neces- 
sary ceremony,  which  he  did  not  allow  us  to  finish, 
but,  causing  us  immediately  to  rise,  he  inquired  with 
regard  to  the  age  and  country  of  Brother  Pansi,  the 
church  where  he  lived,  &c.  He  then  explained  the 
manner  in  which  he  wished  to  be  painted.  The  taste 
of  the  Chinese,  indeed,  inclines  them  to  have  their 
portraits  in  full  face,  not  somewhat  in  profile,  as  is 
customary  in  Europe.  It  is  necessary  that  both  sides 
of  the  face  should  be  equally  seen  in  the  portrait,  and 
there  should  be  no  other  difference  between  them  but 
that  which  is  created  by  the  shadows,  in  accordance 
with  the  side  from  which  the  light  comes,  so  that  the 
portrait  should  be  always  looking  at  the  spectator. 
For  this  reason,  however,  it  is  much  more  difficult  to 
succeed  in  this  kind  of  painting. 

But  the  Emperor,  having  concluded  that  by  the 
multitude  of  his  engagements  it  would  be  difficult  for 
him  to  retain  us  in  his  presence  all  the  time  which 
would  be  necessary  for  the  execution  of  his  design, 
decided  that  Brother  Pansi  should  paint  the  portrait 
in  private  from  one  of  his  former  portraits,  and  that 
afterwards  he  should  make  in  his  presence  the  altera- 
tions which  the  time  that  had  elapsed  had  imprinted 
on  his  features.  I  mentioned  this  to  Brother  Pansi, 
and  in  concert  with  him  I  said  to  the  first  eunuch  of 
the  Presence  that  the  Emperor,  in  granting  to  Brother 
Pansi  the  honor  to  paint  his  portrait,  expected  him  to 
paint  him  as  he  now  really  is  ;  that,  whatever  resem- 
blance there  might  be  in   the  older  portraits,  they 


'^■'^'W' 


124 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


represented  the  features  of  his  Majesty  as  they  were 
at  that  time,  but  that  age  and  circumstances  always 
produce  some  change  in  the  expression,  and  if,  by 
consulting  a  portrait  then  made,  one  should  execute 
to-day  a  portrait  of  the  Emperor,  it  would  resemble 
what  his  Majesty  was  at  that  time,  but  not  what  he 
now  really  is.  I  added  that,  whatever  corrections 
might  subsequently  be  made  in  the  presence  of  the 
Emperor  and  by  consulting  his  features,  the  portrait, 
in  spite  of  these  corrections,  could  never  exhibit  that 
certain  perfection  which  is  the  result  of  the  first 
sketch,  when  one  has  taken  care  to  foresee  the  differ- 
ent expressions,  on  observing  which  the  perfection 
depeiids.  I  prayed  the  eunuch  to  make  these  repre- 
sentations to  his  Majesty,  as  they  had  excited  in 
Brother  Pansi  the  fear  that  he  should  not  succeed 
as  he  wished. 

The  eunuch  executed  his  commission  perfectly  ; 
and  the  Emperor,  having  sent  for  us,  said  that  the 
considerations  which  had  been  presented  to  him  were 
just.  '*  I  am,"  he  remarked,  "  entirely  different  from 
what  I  was  when  you  first  arrived  here.  How  long 
ago  was  that } " 

"  Sire,"  I  replied,  "  it  is  twenty-eight  years  that  I 
have  been  in  Pekin,  and  twenty-six  years  since  I  had 
the  honor  for  the  first  time  to  speak  to  his  Majesty, 
when  he  charged  me  with  the  arrangement  of  the 
waters  with  which  he  ^rished  to  embellish  his  palace, 
both  here  and  at  Yuen-mittg-guen*'  (the  House  of 
Pleasure). 

"  Well,"  replied  the  Emperor,  "  you  should  then  be 


GLIMPSES  OF  THE  COURT  OF  CHINA. 


125 


able  to  remember  how  thin  and  slender  I  was  at  that 
time ;  and  is  it  not  true  that,  if  since  then  you  had 
never  seen  me,  you  would  not  now  be  able  to  recog- 
nize me,  seeing  how  much  stouter  I  now  am  ? " 

"It  is,"  said  I,  "the  constant  exercise  which  his 
Majesty  takes,  and.  the  diet  which  he  observes,  which 
contribute  to  this  stoutness.  Ordinarily,  in  proportion 
as  age  advances,  we  perceive  the  strength  and  the 
health  to  decrease.  On  the  contrary,  the  strength 
and  health  of  his  Majesty  seems  to  increase  with  his 
age.  It  is  the  goodness  of  God,  which  wishes  to 
preserve  him  for  his  people." 

"  Although  I  feel  myself  to  be  strong  and  robust," 
replied  the  Emperor,  "  yet  I  perceive  that  my  features 
have  changed,  year  after  year,  and  that  I  am  entirely 
different  from  what  I  was  when  my  old  portraits  were 
taken.  Therefore,  Pan-ting-chang "  (the  Chinese 
name  of  Brother  Pansi)  "has  reason  for  what  he 
says.  Let  him  paint  me  now,  and  put  himself  in  the 
situation  which  he  thinks  will  be  most  proper  to 
enable  him  to  succeed." 

The  Emperor  then  asked  about  what  time  it  would 
require  to  paint  him,  and  whether  during  that  time  he 
would  be  able  to  employ  himself  in  reading,  writing, 
&c.  After  having  questioned  Brother  Pansi,  I  replied 
to  him  "that  the  first  sketch  would  occupy  two  or 
three  hours  ;  that  after  some  days,  when  the  colors 
should  have  dried,  the  painter  would  put  on  the  sec- 
ond coat  of  coloring,  which  would  take  more  or  less 
time  as  the  first  sitting  had  been  more  or  less  success- 
ful.    As  to  the  rest,  as  soon  as  his  Majesty  wished, 


Hill  ,  I 


126 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


y^;'  i 


:t!:j: 


m 


he  could  leave  the  work,  and  take  it  up  again  when- 
ever it  pleased  him,  without  it  suffering  any  injury." 
And  I  added,  "that,  while  he  was  engaged  in  the 
painting,  his  Majesty  could  read  or  write,  and  do 
whatever  he  thought  proper,  provided  that  his  face 
was  always  in  such  a  direction  that  the  painter  could 
see  his  different  features,  and  that,  when  the  work  re- 
quired a  certain  position,  he  should  take  the  liberty 
of  giving  his  Majesty  notice  of  it." 

"  Do  not  fail,  then,"  said  the  .Emperor,  "  to  let  me 
know  when  a  change  of  position  will  be  necessary." 

The  apartment  in  which  the  Emperor  then  was  is 
in  the  taste  of  all  the  other  apartments,  or,  rather, 
according  to  the  taste  of  all  persons  in  Pekin  who  are 
somewhat  easy  in  their  fortunes.  On  account  of  the 
earthquakes  which  are  so  frequent  here,  the  beams 
and  roofs  of  Chinese  buildings  are  not  supported  on 
the  walls,  but  on  wooden  columns,  placed  on  bases  of 
stone,  so  that  often  the  roof  of  a  building  is  finished 
before  the  walls  are  built.  In  this  way  it  happens 
that,  in  an  earthquake,  the  walls  are  sometimes  over- 
turned, without  the  roof,  or  even  the  interior  of  the 
building,  being  injured.  The  walls  are  commonly  of 
brick,  very  appropriately  worked  on  the  outside,  some- 
times even  ornamented  with  different  designs  in 
sculpture,  and  on  the  inner  side  covered  either  with 
stucco,  or  with  boards  in  the  apartments  which  they 
wish  to  line  with  paper.  In  other  apartments  the 
walls  are  covered  with  joiner's  work. 

The  apartment  of  the  Emperor  is  constructed  in 
this   taste,  and   is  about    ninety  feet  in   length   by 


GLIMPSES  OF  THE  COURT  OF  CHINA.       12/ 


twenty-five  or  twenty-six  in  breadth,  and  is  divided 
into  three  parts.  The  middle  division  is  the  Hall  of 
the  Throne.  Outside  the  whole  length  of  this  building 
there  is  a  covered  gallery,  about  five  feet  in  width, 
formed  by  two  ranges  of  columns.  The  ceilings,  both 
of  the  hall  and  over  the  gallery,  are  ornamented  with 
different  works  in  sculpture,  which  are  partly  gilded, 
partly  painted  and  varnished.  The  columns  are  always 
glazed  in  crimson.  Stone  steps  extend  along  the 
length  of  these  galleries,  elevating  them  four  feet 
above  the  pavement  of  the  court,  and  on  a  level  with 
the  floor  of  the  hall,  in  the  middle  of  which  is  placed 
the  throne  of  his  Majesty,  elevated  several  steps. 
The  throne  is  set  off  with  different  ornaments,  rich 
and  in  good  taste,  the  greater  part  of  which  were  made 
in  Europe.  What  impressed  me  most  among  these 
ornaments  were  two  clocks  of  middling  elegance,  the 
supports  of  which,  either  of  gold  or  of  silver  gilt,  were 
made  to  represent  branches,  with  their  leaves  en- 
twined. Under  the  base  of  the  one  is  an  elephant, 
which  made  different  movements  with  his  trunk.  On 
the  branches  of  the  other  support  is  a  dragon.  The 
whole  is  formed  in  a  way  so  natural  that  one  would 
imagine  the  animals  to  be  alive.  From  the  ceiling, 
in  accordance  with  the  custom  of  the  Chinese,  are 
suspended  lanterns  of  different  kinds,  and  other  orna- 
ments, with  their  tassels  of  silk  of  different  colors. 
This  Hall  is  used  only  for  ordinary  audiences.  There 
is  in  the  interior  of  the  palace,  for  receptions  of  cere- 
mony, one  particular  hall,  the  grandeur  and  magnifi- 
cence of  which  are  in  accordance  with  the  majesty  of 
the  sovereign  to  whom  homage  is  there  rendered. 


Vl 


128 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


The  Emperor  is  lodged  in  the  eastern  chamber  of 
the  palace.  The  private  apartments  on  the  western 
side  are  devoted  to  his  consort,  the  ladies  who  wait 
on  her,  and  the  small  children.  But  the  Emperor,  as 
well  as  the  Empress,  the  princesses,  the  Maids  of 
Honor,  and  all  other  females  who  wait  on  them,  have 
their  apartments  separate  ;  and,  in  accordance  with 
the  custom  of  the  country,  never  during  the  day  is  the 
Emperor  seen  with  any  one  of  the  other  sex. 

In  the  chamber  where  the  Emperor  is  lodged,  on 
the  northern  side,  is  an  alcove,  shut  in  by  different 
wooden  arches.  These  arches  sustain  a  ceiling  raised 
about  eight  or  nine  feet  above  the  floor  of  the  cham- 
ber. Above  this  alcove  are  placed  different  precious 
vases  and  pots  of  natural  or  artificial  flowers,  which 
one  is  able  to  see  from  the  floor  of  the  chamber  below. 
Within  the  alcove  are  disposed  in  ranges  different 
shelves  of  varnished  japanned  work,  ornamented  with 
precious  vases  of  all  kinds  of  jewelry.  There  are 
there,  also,  under  the  alcove,  and  in  different  parts 
of  the  chamber,  vases  of  different  kinds  of  natural 
flowers  ;  for  here  during  the  whole  winter,  and  even 
during  the  most  severe  cold  weather,  they  possess  the 
secret  of  causing  these  plants  and  trees  of  all  kinds 
to  flourish,  and  with  less  fresh  air  than  in  France.  I 
have  known  peach-trees  and  pomegranate-trees  to 
bear  the  double  blossoms  in  January,  and  immedi- 
ately afterwards  the  peaches  and  pomegranates,  which 
became  very  large.  I  should  have  had  difficulty  in 
persuading  myself  that  they  came  of  these  double 
blossoms,  if  many  times  I  had  not  seen  with  my  own 


GLIMPSES  OF  THE  COURT  OF  CHINA.       1 29 


eyes  the  progress  of  these  different  trees,  and  thus  had 
present  proof. 

At  the  end  of  the  chamber  in  which  was  the  Em- 
peror there  was  a  dais,  about  two  feet  in  height  and 
six  feet  in  breadth,  which  extended  the  width  of  the 
apartment.  The  dais  and  the  rest  of  the  floor  were 
covered  with  a  carpet  of  silk,  the  groundwork  of 
which  was  yellow,  ornamented  with  different  figures 
of  crimson  color.  Often  these  carpets  are  of  scarlet 
or  other  fine  cloths,  of  velvet  or  different  European 
stuffs.  To  guard  against  dampness,  they  are  accus- 
tomed to  place  between  the  carpet  and  the  pavement 
a  kind  of  felt,  which  they  put  on  every  thing  on 
which  they  sit.  The  pavement  of  this  chamber,  and 
of  all  the  apartments  of  the  Emperor,  is  formed  of 
bricks,  which  they  call  here  kin-tchou-en,  that  is,  metal- 
lic bricks,  because,  when  they  work  on  them,  they  ring  - 
like  brass,  or  any  other  sounding  metal.  They  are 
two  feet  square,  and  are  made  in  the  southern  prov- 
inces. The  kind  of  sand  which  they  employ  in  mak- 
ing them  is  prepared  as  emery  is  procured  to  polish 
instruments  of  metal.  Having  mixed  the  sand  with 
water  in  a  vessel,  they  suffer  it  to  be  undisturbed  for 
some  time,  so  that  the  larger  particles  are  deposited 
at  the  bottom  of  the  vessel.  They  then  turn  off  the 
water  into  other  vessels,  where  it  is  again  permitted 
to  remain  for  a  long  time,  until  the  finer  particles 
with  which  it  is  impregnated  are  deposited.  It  is  of 
this  deposit  that  the  bricks  are  made,  the  grain  of 
which  is  so  fine  that  the  fragments  are  in  great  de- 
mand to  use  in  sharpening  razors  and  polishing  differ- 
6*  I 


> 


I30 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


f'' 


.    - 


ent  instruments  of  metal.  Each  of  these  bricks  will 
bring  forty  ounces  of  silver,  which  is  equal  to  one 
hundred  crowns  of  our  money  in  France.  In  con- 
structing the  pavement,  they  unite  the  bricks  together 
with  a  mastic  composed  of  varnish  ;  and,  when  they  are 
placed  in  their  position,  they  cover  them  with  a  varnish, 
which  renders  the  surface  brilliant,  and  so  hard  that 
in  walking  over  it  there  is  no  more  impression  made 
than  if  it  were  a  pavement  of  marble. 

The  Emperor  was  seated  in  the  middle  of  the  dais, 
his  back  towards  the  East,  sitting  Tartar-fashion,  his 
legs  crossed  on  a  cushion  of  yellow  damask.  An- 
other cushion  of  the  same  material  was  against  the 
wall  to  serve  for  a  back.  At  his  sides  he  had  small 
tables,  eight  or  ten  inches  in  height,  on  which  were 
pencils,  red  and  black  ink,  inkstands,  different  written 
papers,  and  some  volumes  of  books.  His  robe  was 
lined  with  a  costly  fur,  the  price  of  which  exceeded 
nine  or  ten  times  that  of  the  most  beautiful  sables. 
As  it  was  during  the  ceremonies  of  the  New  Year,  the 
robe  which  covered  this  fur  was  of  yellow  damask, 
worked  with  dragons  of  five  talons.  (These  dragons 
with  five  talons  are  to  the  Emperors  of  China  what 
the  fleurs-de-lis  are  to  our  kings.  If  any,  except  the 
Emperor,  should  at  any  time  use  the  dragons  in  em- 
broidery, in  painting,  or  in  sculpture,  they  must  repre- 
sent them  with  but  four  talons.)  The  dress  above  it 
was  of  violet  color.  It  descended  around  the  body, 
even  to  the  dais,  and  entirely  covered  the  robe.  The 
cap  which  he  wore  was  of  black  fur,  with  one  pearl  on 
the  top.     This  pearl,  which  I  have  seen  near  by  and 


/ 


GLIMPSES  OF  THE  COURT  OF  CHINA.       131 


handled,  is  fourteen  lines  ^  in  length.  The  base  is  a 
little  oval,  and  at  the  top  ..;  forms  two  blunted  points. 
In  speaking  of  the  position  of  the  Emperor,  there 
is  one  observation,  made  both  by  Brother  Pansi  and 
myself,  which  excited  in  us  some  surprise.  It  is  this, 
that  during  the  different  sittings,  however  long  they 
might  be,  while  we  were  employed  on  the  painting,  he 
was  at  the  same  distance  from  the  cushion  which 
served  as  a  back  to  his  seat,  and  we  have  never  seen 
him  support  himself,  or  lean  back  upon  it.  Often 
when  he  had  become  animated  in  speaking,  or  partic- 
ularly when  he  drew  to  his  side  the  things  of  which 
he  had  need,  he  made  different  movements  of  his 
head,  his  arms,  and  his  bust,  but  ^'e  never  saw  him 
make  the  least  movement  with  '  is  legs,  or  in  the 
slightest  degree  change  their  position.  This  trait 
may  appear  to  be,  and  indeed  is,  in  itself  a  trifle  :  it 
shows,  nevertheless,  how  much  the  Emperor  gives  to 
his  Tartars  an  example  of  shunning  every  thing  which 
ministers  to  the  love  of  ease.  This  example  authorizes 
him  to  punish,  or  even  to  disgrace,  any  one,  no  matter 
who  he  may  be,  whom  he  knows  to  be  living  an 
effeminate  life,  and  seeking  his  ease  with  too  much 
care,  even  though  he  might  have  in  other  respects  the 
necessary  capacity.  In  the  apartments  of  his  Majesty 
are  neither  chairs  nor  stools  ;  because,  if  he  showed 
any  one  the  grace  to  cause  him  to  be  seated,  he  could 
only  sit  on  the  floor,  which  is  always  covered  with  a 
carpet.  If  sometimes  he  wishes  to  distinguish  in  a 
marked  manner  a  prince  of  the  blood,  a  general  of 

*  A  line  was  one-twelfth  of  an  inch.  —  Trans. 


132 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


m 


it\  a 


the  army,  or  any  other  person  in  whom  he  recognizes 
eminent  merit,  then  he  causes  him  to  sit  on*  the  same 
dais  with  himself. 

As  it  was  then  excessively  cold,  on  a  pedestal  in 
the  middle  of  the  chamber  was  placed  a  large  bronze 
vase,  filled  with  live  coals,  well  kindled,  but  covered 
with  ashes  to  keep  up  a  temperate  atmosphere.  Be- 
sides this  kind  of  brazier,  we  know  that  in  China  they 
use  a  species  of  stove,  formed  by  pipes  which  run 
below  the  floor  of  the  chamber,  and  carry  thither  the 
heat  of  a  furnace,  with  which  they  are  connected. 
This  furnace  is  buried  in  the  earth  outside  of  the 
chamber,  generally  on  the  side  opposite  the  windows. 
The  hot  air  of  this  furnace,  when  it  is  lighted,  circu- 
lating through  the  pipes,  warms  the  entire  floor,  and 
consequently  the  chamber  itself,  with  a  uniform  heat, 
without  producing  either  smoke  or  any  disagreeable 
odor.  But  the  Emperor,  who  did  not  regard  cold, 
rarely  caused  it  to  be  lighted. 

And  now  let  me  tell  you  briefly  in  what  consist  the 
ornaments  of  the  Emperor's  cham.ber.  A  number  of 
tables  of  japanned  work,  artistically  executed,  and 
covered  with  all  sorts  of  trinkets,  were  arranged  on 
the  different  sides  of  t'-^e  room.  The  lanterns  and  other 
ornaments  suspended  from  the  ceiling  are  the  same 
as  in  the  Hall  of  the  Throne.  Some  small  portraits 
of  former  wise  men  of  the  country,  executed  in  ink, 
are  hung  on  the  wainscoting  of  the  alcove.  In  place 
of  tapestry,  a  beautiful  white  paper,  pasted  on  the 
walls  and  the  ceiling,  renders  the  chamber  exceedingly 
light,  without  fatiguing  the  sight.     The  Emperor  has, 


GLIMPSES  OF  THE  COURT  OF  CHINA. 


133 


however,  tapestries  in  many  of  his  palaces,  to  which  he 
goes  from  time  to  time  to  walk  or  repose  himself. 
These  same  palaces  are  also  ornamented  with  glass, 
pictures,  clocks,  candlesticks,  and  all  sorts  of  other 
ornaments,  which  are  the  most  costly  of  those  we 
have  in  Europe.  The  Mandarins  of  the  provinces 
present  him  with  every  variety  of  thing  of  this  kind. 
That  which  Tsong-tore,  of  Canton,  alone  offered  him, 
during  the  last  year,  in  the  twelfth  month,  amounted 
to  more  than  thirty  ouatiy  that  is,  three  hundred  and 
twenty-five  thousand  livres.  But  the  Emperor  makes 
little  use  of  these  ornaments  in  the  places  where  he 
commonly  lives. 

The  magnificence  of  the  roof  of  the  main  building 
announ(  es  the  resident  beneath  it.  The  tiles,  which 
are  varnished  in  yellow,  shine  with  such  brightness 
that,  when  the  sun  lights  them  up,  you  would  sup- 
pose they  were  gilded.  The  crown  and  parapets  of 
the  roof  are  ornamented  with  different  works  in 
sculpture,  of  the  same  material  as  the  tiles,  and  var- 
nished like  them.  However,  they  sometimes  varnish 
these  tiles  with  different  colors,  —  green,  blue,  violet, 
flesh-color,  &c., —  and  the.  greater  part  of  these 
tints  are  beautiful  and  very  vivid.  They  do  not 
use  them  for  any  buildings  but  the  residence  of  the 
Emperor  or  the  temples  ;  but  for  the  apartments 
where  the  Emperor  usually  lodges  they  ordinarily 
employ  only  yellow. 

After  this  digression,  —  which,  while  giving  an  idea 
of  the  apartments  of  an  Emperor  of  China,  will  give 
also  an  idea  of  the  situation  in  which  was  his  Majesty 


rn 


ti'\ 


II 


■              !?' 

M     ,■■: 

1 ; 

ill 

n  I ' 

i       1 

1; 

134 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


when  Brother  Pansi  took  his  portrait,  —  I  return  to 
what  relates  to  the  portrait  itself. 

The  Emperor,  before  Brother  Pansi  put  his  hand  to 
the  work,  caused  him  to  approach  very  iiear  him,  so 
that  the  painter  could  study  him  at  his  ease ;  and, 
ha/ing  made  him  remark  some  features  of  which  he 
desired  the  Brother  to  take  particular  notice,  he 
charged  me  to  draw  his  attention  to  them.  Brother 
Pansi,  after  having  considered  at  his  ease  the  features 
of  his  Majesty,  himself  placed  the  easel  at  seven  or 
eight  feet  distant  from  him.  I  stationed  myself  by 
his  side,  and  he  began  pencilling  out  the  first  sketch. 

While  he  was  marking 'it  out,  the  Emperor  put  to 
me  many  questions  on  the  names  and  difference  of 
our  Churches  ;  why  we  called  them  the  Church  of  the 
East,  the  Church  of  the  West,  &c. ;  what  we  did  in 
Europe  before  we  came  to  China ;  whether  all  the 
Europeans  who  were  at  Pekin  were  members  of  re- 
ligious fraternities  ;  why  scarcely  any  came  there  but 
the  members  ;  at  what  age  they  took  their  vows  ; 
whether  it  was  since  we  became  members  that  we 
cultivated  the  sciences  and  arts  which  we  t,.:ercised 
there  .-'  I  endeavored  to  satisfy  him  on  all  these  po  nts. 
I  told  him  that  the  names  which  our  Churches  jre, 
of  South,  East,  and  West,  were  titles  they  received 
with  reference  to  the  palace  itself,  having  been  given 
them  in  consequence  of  -their  situation  with  respect 
to  it ;  that  our  Church,  for  example,  being  at  the  west 
of  the  palace,  they  named  it  the  Church  of  the  West, 
although  in  the  city  they  often  called  it  the  North 
Church,  because  it  is  situated  in  the  northern  part  of 


"7^ 


GLIMPSES  OF  THE  COURT  OF  CHINA.      1 35 


Pekin.  I  added,  afterwards,  that  in  Europe,  before  we 
came  here,  we  were  members  of  the  religious  frater- 
nity ;  that  usually  at  sixteen  or  eighteen  years  of  age 
they  took  these  vows,  and  sometimes  even  at  a  much 
more  advanced  age;  that  the  object  of  this  state, 
which  they  call  si-on-tuo  (it  is  thus  that  they  desig- 
nate those  under  religious  vows),  properly  is  to  labor 
to  improve  ourselves  and  to  improve  others.  To 
effect  this,  while  in  Europe,  we  taught  the  young, 
grammar,  eloquence,  philosophy,  and  mathematics. 
"  But,"  I  continued,  "  all  these  sciences,  sire,  as  has 
been  often  said  to  your  Majesty,  are  nothing  but  our 
secondary  object.  Our  first  and  principal  object  is  to 
teach  religion,  to  correct  the  vices,  and  to  reform  the 
morals.  As  to  painting,  clock-making,  and  the  other 
arts  of  this  kind,  when  any  persons  were  acquainted 
with  them  before  they  took  the  vows,  they  sometimes 
continued  to  exercise  them  as  a  mere  amusement,  but 
they  do  not  acquire  these  things  except  when  they 
think  of  coming  to  Pekin.  As  we  know  that  your 
Majesty  has  a  taste  for  these  different  arts,  those  who 
design  coming  here  cultivate  them,  and  even  begin 
learning  them,  if  they  have  a  peculiar  talent  for 
them." 

"  Pan-ting-chang,"  said  the  Emperor,  "  has  he  ac- 
quired the  art  of  painting  since  he  took  the  vows } " 

"  It  is  only  a  short  time,"  I  replied,  '  that  Pan-ting- 
chang  has  been  a  member  of  the  Order.  He  was  a 
secular  painter,  and  had  already  acquired  a  reputation 
in  his  profession.  As  he  did  not  wish  to  marry,  and 
was  living  in  the  world  almost  as  one  under  vows, 


! 


V.  '. 


Ji  i.i 


136 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


those  who  in  Europe  were  interested  for  us,  and 
whom  we  had  informed  that  we  wished  one  or  two 
good  painters,  proposed  to  him  to  become  a  member 
of  the  Order,  that  he  might  be  able  to  labor  with  us 
in  the  service  of  your  Majesty ;  and  he  consented." 

"  Is  it  the  case,"  said  the  Emperor,  "  that  if  he  had 
not  become  a  member,  he  could  not  have  come 
here  ? " 

"  He  could  have  done  so,  sire ;  but,  not  being  a 
Brother  of  our  Order,  we  should  have  been  able  to 
interest  ourselves  for  him  only  to  a  certain  extent ; 
perhaps  by  aiding  him  in  his  voyage  hither;  perhaps 
in  presenting  him  to  your  Majesty ;  or,  it  may  be,  in 
having  care  of  him  while  here." 

"  But,"  said  his  Majesty,  "  if  you  know  him  to  be 
an  honest  man,  why  should  there  be  any  difficulty  in 
your  interesting  yourself  for  him  .'' " 

"  Sire,"  I  said,  "  in  the  reign  of  Canghi,  we  wished 
to  have  a  painter  here ;  and  not  having  one  of  our 
Order,  we  invited  a  layman  skilled  in  his  art,  who 
really  had  the  good  fortune  to  please  your  auj^ust 
grandfather  during  the  many  years  that  he  worked  in 
his  service.  Finally,  notwithstanding  all  the  favors 
which  his  Majesty  heaped  upon  him,  and  notwith- 
standing all  the  efforts  we  made  to  retain  him,  he 
positively  determined  to  return  to  the  bosom  of  his 
family.  As  we  had  known  him  to  be  an  honest  man 
and  incapable  of  acting  in  any  way  which  would  dis- 
grace the  Europeans,  and  as  besides  we  ourselves  had 
brought  him  here,  we  lodged  him  in  our  Church. 
But  if,  unhappily,  he  had  behaved  badly,  as  he  was 


GLIMPSES  OF  THE  COURT  OF  CHINA.      137 


not  a  member  of  our  Order,  and  he  had  neither  here 
nor  in  Europe  any  superior  to  whom  he  looked  for 
the  regulation  of  his  morals  and  conduct,  we  would 
have  had  no  power  to  reclaim  him  to  the  require- 
ments of  reason  or  to  keep  him  in  the  bounds  of  duty. 
This,  then,  is  the  reason  why  we  do  not  again  propose 
to  your  Majesty  any  but  those  who  are  members  of 
our  Order. 

"  It  was  again  for  this  cause  that  the  Tsong-ton  of 
Canton,  having  sent  here  a  layman  to  work  at  glass- 
making,  your  august  grandfather,  on  account  of  these 
inconveniences,  of  which  he'  was  himself  aware,  did 
not  propose  to  us  to  lodge  him  in  our  church,  but 
allotted  him  his  own  private  residence  and  an  income 
sufficient  to  support  it.  But  the  glass-manufacturer, 
after  having  worked  for  some  years  in  the  service  of 
his  Majesty,  acted  like  the  painter,  and  returned  to 
Europe." 

The  Emperor  had  frequently  spoken  to  encourage 
Brother  Pansi,  for  fear  he  should  be  too  timid  in  his 
presence,  "  in  which  case,"  said  he,  "  the  fear  of  not 
succeeding  will  of  itself  prevent  his  success.  Let 
him  paint  me,"  he  added,  "  with  the  same  confidence 
with  which  he  paints  an  ordinary  person  ;  let  him 
adopt  the  position  which  is  most  convenient ;  and  let 
him  notify  me,  without  any  reserve,  of  any  thing  which 
would  prejudice  or  contribute  to  the  perfection  of  his 
work." 

This  attention  which  his  Majesty  condescended  to 
exhibit  with  regard  to  every  thing  which  could  impede 
or  obstruct  Brother  Pansi  induced  him  again  to  fear 


Wi 


1     ' 


1l: 


^1 


138 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


that,  if  he  continued  to  talk,  the  Brother  might  have 
his  attention  distracted  by  it,  "  In  chattering  as  we 
are  now  doing,"  he  said  to  me,  familiarly,  "  I  fear  lest 
the  painter  may  be  troubled  by  it.  Will  he  not  get 
on  better  if  I  keep  myself  quiet  ? "  I  answered  his 
Majesty,  "  that,  as  long  as  he  was  speaking,  his  face 
had  an  air  of  kindness  and  serenity  which  was  exceed- 
ingly becoming  in  a  portrait,  but  which  would  not  be 
so  plainly  marked  if  he  were  applying  himself  to  any 
work.  The  application,  besides,  rendered  the  expres- 
sion of  the  face  less  open,  the  features  less  marked, 
and  consequently  more  difficult  to  paint." 

"  Since  this  is  so,"  said  the  Emperor,  placing  upon 
the  table  the  manuscript  which  he  held  in  his  hand, 
"  let  us  then  talk ; "  and,  actually,  for  nearly  seven 
hours  that  Brother  Pansi,  in  different  sittings,  was 
employed  in  painting  his  Majesty,  during  the  whole 
time  he  put  to  me  a  continual  series  of  questions  on 
all  sorts  of  matters,  telling  me  frequently  to  be  seated, 
as,  in  view  of  my  feeble  health  and  advanced  age,  he 
feared  lest  I  should  be  incommoded  by  remaining  so 
long  standing ;  and  he  lowered  himself  to  speak  to 
me  with  all  the  kindness  and  familiarity  which  a 
father  would  use  towards  one  of  his  children. 

Towards  noon  the  Emperor  sent  us  to  dine,  and 
directed  us  to  return  at  half-past  twelve.  We  went 
to  Ki-siang-kong  (the  Place  of  Painting),  where  our 
dinner  awaited  us.  Before  half -past  twelve,  having 
returned  to  the  side-chamber  where  Brother  Pansi 
had  painted  in  the  morning,  his  Majesty  sent  to 
Brother  Pansi  and  myself  each  a  large  piece  of  silk 


GLIMPSES  OF  THE  COURT  OF  CHINA.      1 39 


similar  to  those  which  we  had  received  on  the  occa- 
sion of  the  presentation  of  the  telescope,  and  to  each 
one  also  three  pairs  of  purses,  causing  us  to  be  told, 
at  the  same  time,  to  return  immediately  to  him,  that 
Brother  Pansi  might  continue  his  painting.  As  soon 
as  we  were  in  his  presence,  we  commenced  going 
through  the  ceremony  of  returning  thanks,  but,  caus- 
ing us  immediately  to  rise,  he  said  to  us,  with  kind- 
ness, that  he  was  entirely  satisfied.  The  Brother 
placed  himself  again  it  his  easel  and  I  at  his  side. 
The  Emperor  resumed  his  conversation,  interrupting 
it,  from  time  to  time,  by  causing  the  picture  to  be 
brought  to  him,  that  he  might  see  in  what  state  it 
was. 

The  left  eyebrow  of  the  Emperor  is  a  little  broken 
off  by  an  interval  of  about  the  twelfth  of  an  inch  in 
breadth,  the  hair  which  should  fill  it  growing  on  the 
border  of  the  eyebrow,  below  the  vacant  space.  As, 
however,  the  hair  of  the  eyebrow  conceals  this  de- 
formity, it  can  scarcely  be  noticed  ;  but  the  Emperor, 
causing  us  to  come  near  him,  pointed  out  to  us  this 
separation,  and  told  me  to  recommend  to  Brother 
Pansi  to  copy  it  exactly.  I  said  to  him,  "  If  your 
Majesty  had  not  drawn  our  attention  to  it,  we  should 
not  have  perceived  it." 

"  Well,"  said  the  Emperor,  smiling,  "  notify  him  to 
paint  this  defect  in  such  a  way  that  one  will  not  per- 
ceive it  unless  he  has  been  warned,  but  when  his 
attention  has  been  drawn  to  it,  he  will  see  it.  It  is 
my  portrait  he  is  to  paint ;  it  is  not  right  that  he 
should  flatter  me.     If  I  have  defects,  he  ought  to 


ll  1 


IV 


1  :^1 


/ 


>t 


'•1 


140 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


represent  them,  otherwise  it  will  not  be  my  likeness. 
It  is  the  same  with  the  wrinkles  on  my  face.  It  is 
necessary  to  give  the  painter  notice  of  them,  to  make 
it  more  life-like." 

I  said  that  "  really  they  were  so  little  apparent  that 

the  painter  would  have  difficulty  in  perceiving  them." 

'"They  do   appear  but  little,"  said  the  Emperor. 

"They  are   not   as   evident  as  yours,  though  I  am 

much  older  than  you." 

Immediately  he  made  us  come  near  him,  and,  hav- 
ing had  a  small  mirror  brought,  he  held  it  with  one 
hand,  and  with  the  other  he  pointed  out  each  of  the 
wrinkles.  "  What  are  those,  if  they  are  not  wrinkles  } 
He  must  represent  all  of  them,  and  not  make  me 
appear  younger  than  I  am.  After  having  passed 
sixty  years,  would  it  not  be  extraordinary  if  I  should 
be  without  wrinkles } "  He  caused  them  several 
times  afterwards  to  bring  him  the  portrait,  and  he  was 
so  well  satisfied  that  he  supposed  it  to  be  finished. 
When  he  was  told  that  it  was  only  the  first  sketch, 
and  that,  after  some  days,  when  the  colors  had  dried, 
it  would  be  necessary  to  have  a  second  sitting,  "  If," 
said  he,  "  I  have  now  found  the  portrait  so  well  exe- 
cuted, what  will  it  be  when  you  have  again  worked 
on  it .? " 

Several  days  passed,  during  which  Brother  Pansi 
retouched  his  work  at  our  residence.  When  we  re- 
turned to  the  palace,  we  were  conducted  to  the  side 
of  the  apartment  of  the  Emperor.  His  Majesty  was 
not  in  his  ordinary  room,  but  in  another  palace,  where 
he  took  part  in  the  customary  spectacles  at  the  time 


GLIMPSES  OF  THE  COURT  OF  CHINA.      141 


of  the  New  Year.  They  carried  to  him  the  portrait, 
and  told  him  it  was  considered  finished  for  the 
present.  He  answered  us  "  that  his  first  >intention 
had  been  to  have  only  a  half-length  portrait,  but  that 
it  was  necessary  to  enlarge  it,  by  adding  to  it  at  the 
top,  the  bottom,  and  the  two  sides,  with  prepared 
paper,  and  he  would  himself  settle  the  dimensions' of 
the  picture."  It  is  well  for  me  to  state  that  here 
pictures  are  not  painted  on  canvas,  but  on  the  paper 
of  Corde,  which  is  very  strong  and  smoother  than 
canvas.  They  prepare  this  paper  in  the  same  way 
that  our  painters  prepare  the  canvas  on  which  they 
wish  to  paint.  In  increasing  the  size  of  this  paper 
intended  for  a  picture,  they  are  able  to  do  so  as  much 
as  they  wish,  without  it  appearing  that  any  thing  had 
been  added  to  it. 

The  30th  of  January,  the  last  day  of  the  first  month, 
was  the  day  fixed  for  Brother  Pansi  to  go  on  with  the 
portrait  of  the  Emperor ;  and  he  added  to  it  the  bon- 
net and  drapery.  It  was  necessary  first  that  Brother 
Pansi  should  begin  the  portrait  of  another  young  man, 
and  that  the  picture  should  be  of  the  size  of  the  for- 
mer. They  immediately  conducted  us  to  the  neigh- 
borhood of  the  apartment  of  the  Emperor,  who  was 
not  then  in  his  ordinary  room,  but  in  Thay-kottg. 
A  young  man  of  twenty-four  or  twenty-five  years 
of  age  then  presented  himself,  and  the  artist  im- 
mediately sketched  the  portrait.  The  page  himself 
carried  it  to  the  Emperor,  who  was  entirely  satis- 
fied ;  and  he,  as  well  as  the  eunuchs,  said  that 
nothing  was  wanting  to  the  portrait  but  the  power 


142 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


k\ 


1'^ 


of  speech.     It  was,  however,  nothing  but  the  first 
sketch. 

It  was  at  the  Thay-kong,  where  the  Emperor  passes 
three  days  in  soHtude,^  that  he  caused  us  to  be 
brought  to  him,  that  Brother  Pansi  might  continue 
the  portrait  of  his  Majesty.  At  eight  o'clock  in  the 
morning  we  returned  to  Ki-siang-kong  (the  Place  of 
Painting),  during  a  severe  snow-storm,  which  did  not 
cease  until  evening.  They  told  us  that  the  Emperor 
was  occupied  with  some  unexpected  business,  and  in 
consequence  could  not  admit  us  before  noon.  But  at 
eleven  o'clock  they  came  to  seek  us,  from  his  Majesty. 
It  was  necessary  for  us  to  go  at  once,  notwithstanding 
the  snow,  which  fell  in  large  flakes.  We  traversed 
the  courts,  the  terraces,  and  the  galleries,  conducted 
by  the  eunuchs,  who,  whenever  we  passed  any  open- 
ing, from  which  we  could  look  into  the  apartment 
where  it  was  possible  any  princess  or  other  person  of 
the  sex  might  be,  made  a  signal,  as  much  to  give  no- 
tice to  the  eunuchs  who  were  on  duty  as  sentinels  to 
shut  the  open  doors  or  windows  through  which  one 
might  be  able  to  look,  as  to  learn  whether  any  princess 
might  not  be  on  her  way  to  visit  another  princess,  or 
for  some  other  reason.  For,  although  in  the  interior 
of  the  palace  itself,  neither  the  princesses  nor  any 
other  females  can  go  from  one  apartment  to  the  other, 
however  near  they  may  be,  but  in  closed  carriages, 
carried  by  the  eunuchs,  and  differing  according  to  the 

I  This  is  an  annual  fast  with  the  Chinese,  a  period  of  retreat  from 
the  woi  .d,  and  abstinence,  when  the  Emperor  thus  prepares  himself 
to  offer  sacrifices  in  the  temples. — Trans. 


GLIMPSES  OF  THE  COURT  OF  CHINA.      143 


different  degrees  of  dignity  of  the  ladies  whom  they 
bear.  Nevertheless,  no  person  whatever  except  the 
eunuchs,  even  though  he  might  be  a  son  or  a  brother 
of  the  Emperor,  is  allowed  to  meet  them  on  their  way. 
The  eunuchs  having  given  the  signal,  he  turns  back 
immediately,  or,  if  circumstances  prevent  his  turning 
back,  it  is  necessary  to  turn  to  him  the  hinder  part  of 
the  carriage  when  he  passes. 

Brother  Pansi  was  much  surprised  at  all  these  cere- 
monies, so  foreign  to  the  customs  of  Europe.  But 
what  embarrassed  him  most  was  the  melting  snow, 
which  rendered  the  pavement  so  slippery  that,  being 
little  accustomed  to  all  the  attire  of  Chinese  dresses, 
which  the  season  obliged  him  to  wear,  he  was  near 
falling  every  moment. 

After  a  walk  of  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  entirely  within 
the  interior  of  the  palace,  we  arrived  at  a  court  which 
is  immediately  in  front  of  the  Thay-kofig.  This  court 
is  shut  in  by  three  grand  main  buildings  that  enclose 
it  on  three  sides.  The  fourth  side  fronts  the  north, 
and  separates  it  from  the  Tkay-kong.  It  is  surrounded 
by  an  open  gallery  or  terrace,  of  eight  or  nine  feet  in 
height,  ornamented  in  its  entire  length,  at  regular  dis- 
tances, with  bronze  vases  and  statues  and  different 
designs  in  stone.  Above  this  terrace  is  situated  the 
Tkay-kong,  or  Palace  of  Retirement,  the  taste  of  which 
is  precisely  the  same  as  that  of  the  apartment  of  the 
Emperor,  which  I  have  already  described.  The  divi- 
sions of  the  chambers  there  are  also  almost  the  same  ; 
nevertheless,  the  structure  of  the  roofs,  the  ornaments 
of  the  ceilings,  and  all  the  other  accompaniments,  are 


■    I 
)    i  4 


m\ 


144 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


of  a  taste  so  varied,  so  noble,  and  so  magnificent,  that 
each  time  we  have  seen  them  it  has  always  been  with 
new  admiration. 

Since  it  was  still  the  festival  of  the  New  Year,  the 
ceremonial  did  not  permit  that  during  these  three  days 
of  retirement  Emperor  should  wear  his  robes  of 

state.  It  was  necessary  for  him  to  wear  the  dress  of 
partial  mourning ;  that  is  to  say,  the  ordinary  habit 
of  only  one  color,  such  as  he  used  every  day  which 
was  not  one  of  ceremony,  and  a  robe  above  it  of 
black. 

As  soon  as  we  had  entered  his  Majesty's  apartment, 
Brother  Pansi  went  on  with  his  picture.  Towards  two 
o'clock,  when  they  were  ready  to  serve  his  supper,  he 
sent  us  to  rest,  and  ordered  the  eunuchs  to  provide  a 
collation  for  u«  in  an  a-ijoining  chamber.  During  his 
supper  he  sc  ms  tea  and  milk  from  his  own  table. 
At  a  quartti   ^    it  two  we  were  recalled. 

I  have  already  stated  that  the  taste  of  the  Chinese, 
and  particularly  that  of  the  Emperor,  led  them  to 
desire  in  their  pictures  only  so  much  shade  as  was 
absolutely  necessary.  His  Majesty  wished  also  that 
the  hairs  of  his  beard  and  of  his  eyebrows  should  be 
separately  so  distinctly  marked  that  v  'icn  near  the 
portrait  one  could  distinguish  them.  I  recalled  to 
mind,  on  this  occasion,  that  one  day  the  Brother 
Attiret,  whose  eminent  talent  for  painting  is  well 
known,  during  the  first  years  of  his  residence  here 
had  painted  a  flower,  upon  which  Brother  Castiglioni, 
who  had  been  here  for  some  years,  having  by  chance 
cast  his  eye,  he  said  to  Brother  Attiret,  "  There  are 


GLIMPSES  OF  THE  COURT  OF  CHINA.      1 45 


one  or  two  leaves  too  many  in  the  contour  of  that 
flower."  "  But,"  said  Attiret,  "  as  to  the  number  of 
leaves  which  form  the  whole  flower,  who  would  think 
it  necessary  to  count  them  ? "  "  A  good  painter  in 
Europe,"  replied  Castiglioni,  "would  pronounce  your 
flower  to  be  perfect  ;  but  here  there  is  not  an  appren- 
tice-painter who,  at  the  first  glance,  will  not  tell  you 
at  once  that  your  flower  has  not  in  its  contour  the 
number  of  leaves  which  it  should  have."  And  Brother 
Attiret  immediately  convinced  himself,  by  showing  the 
flower  to  Chinese  painters.  I  had  seen  the  same  thing 
done  with  reference  to  the  number  of  scales  which 
ought  to  be  in  each  row  on  the  body  of  a  fish.  Al- 
though the  Emperor  did  not  enter  into  this  kind 
of  minutia,  he  nevertheless  wished,  following  the 
taste  of  his  country,  that  his  beard  and  eyebrows 
should  be  painted  in  such  a  way  that  at  least  a 
large  number  of  hairs  could  be  distinguished,  the 
one  from  the  other,  by  a  stroke  of  the  brush  made 
for  each.  But,  as  this  labor  consumed  consider- 
able time,  I  said  to  him  that  Brother  Pansi  could 
do  this  at  his  leisure  in  private,  and  that  it  would 
not  be  necessary  for  him  to  be  in  the  presence  of 
his  Majesty. 

Some  days  afterwards  all  the  court  removed  to  the 
House  of  Pleasure  ( Yuen-ming-gueii).  I  accompanied 
Brother  Pansi  thither  to  act  as  interpreter.  I  had 
received  orders  to  go  thither  as  soon  as  the  cold 
should  be  a  little  moderated,  to  instruct  the  four 
eunuchs  in  the  manner  of  using  the  air-pump,  and  to 
explain  to  the  Emperor  the  different  experiments. 
7  J 


146 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


W 


The  scene  was  therefore  transferred  to  the  House 
of  Pleasure. 

During  the  whole  course  of  the  year,  the  Emperor 
resides  only  about  three  months  at  Pekin.  He  ordi- 
narily returns  there  some  time  before  the  winter  sol- 
stice, which  always  occurs  in  the  eleventh  month  of 
the- Chinese  year;  and  before  the  15th  of  the  first 
month  of  the  following  year  the  Emperor,  with  all  his 
suite,  goes  to  reside  at  the  House  of  Pleasure,  which 
is  situated  two  leagues  north-west  from  Pekin.  Dur- 
ing these  three  months  of  the  year  that  he  passes  at 
Pekin,  he  is  occupied  with  a  multitude  of  ceremonies, 
which  require  his  presence.  All  the  rest  of  the  year, 
except  the  time  when  he  is  engaged  in  the  chase  in 
Tartary,  is  passed  at  Yiien-miug-guen,  whence  he  re- 
pairs to  Pekin  as  often  as  any  ceremony  obliges  him. 
The  ceremony  finished,  he  returns  at  once.  This  is 
the  House  of  Pleasure,  to  which  they  have  now  added 
the  embellishments  which  are  found  in  the  ancient 
palace,  and  in  a  great  number  of  other  palaces,  each 
one  more  magnificent  than  the  other,  which  his  Maj- 
esty has  caused  to  be  built,  and  the  precincts  of  which 
he  has  enlarged,  so  that  to-day  the  circumference  is 
not  less  than  two  leagues. 

We  can  say  of  this  House  of  Pleasure  that  it  is  a 
town,  or  rather  a  collection  of  towns,  within  which  it 
is  situated,  and  which  contains  more  than  a  million  of 
souls.  It  has  different  names.  The  part  of  this  town 
in  which  our  French  fraternity  has  a  small  residence, 
wherein  to  lodge  those  of  us  who  are  occupied  in  work- 
ing in  the  palace  of  his  Majesty,  they  name  Hai-tien, 


i 


GLLVPSES  OF  THE  COURT  OF  CHINA.       I47 

The  House  of  Pleasure  of  the  Emperor  they  call  "  the 
garden  of  perfect  brightness."  The  House  of  Pleas- 
ure of  the  Emperor's  mother,  very  near  that  of  his 
Majesty,  is  "  the  garden  where  reigns  a  pleasant 
spring."  One  other  House  of  Pleasure,  a  short  dis- 
tance from  it,  is  called  "  the  mountain  of  the  extensive 
view."  Another,  at  some  distance  from  it,  is  named 
"  the  garden  of  brilliant  tranquillity."  In  the  midst  of 
the  palace  of  the  Emperor  is  a  mountain  called  "  the 
mountain  of  the  precious  fountain."  This  fountain, 
indeed,  furnished  water  for  all  *;he  palaces  which  I 
have  mentioned  ;  and  the  water  afterwards  formed  a 
canal  that  extended  as  far  as  Pekin.  But,  since  the 
reigning  Emperor  has  covered  this  mountain  with 
magnificent  edifices,  this  springs  although  still  abun- 
dant, does  not  furnish  half  the  water  which  it  formerly 
did.i 

In  this  House  of  Pleasure,  at  the  entrance  of  the 
gardens,  is  situated  the  yoii-y-koan^  which  is  the  place 
where  the  Chinese  and  European  painters,  the 
European  clock-makers,  those  who  are  employed  in 
making  different  kinds  of  machinery,  and  the  work- 
men in  precious  stones  and  ivory,  are  engaged  in  their 
business.  Beyond  this  inner  laboratory,  where  the 
Emperor  comes  from  time  to  time  to  see  the  works 
which  are  going  on,  there  are  around  the  palace  a 
great  number  of  workshops  of  all  kinds  ;  for  many 
artisans  are  continually  occujned  in  every  variety  of 
labor  to  ornament  the  palace  of  his  Majesty. 

^  In  another   letter  one   of  the   other  missionaries  refers  to  this 
House  of  Pleasure,  and  calls  it  "  the  Versailles  of  China."  —  Trans. 


148 


HISTORICAL  SCENES, 


■ 

5S(! 

% 

is 
■J 

ii 

i 

i': 

The  8th  of  February,  being  the  17th  of  the  first 
moi:^h,  was  the  day  on  which  the  different  workmen 
who  were  there  employed  returned  to  the  you-y-koan. 
Brother  Pansi  went  thither  ;  and,  by  order  of  the  Em- 
peror, he  was  conducted  to  one  of  the  palaces,  that  he 
might  retouch  there  the  portrait  of  the  second  young 
man  which  he  had  painted.  Father  Vantavon  acted 
as  his  interpreter  while  awaiting  my  arrival,  which  was 
not  long  delayed,  by  an  express  order  of  his  Majesty. 
I  did  not,  however,  remain  there  long,  as  it  was  neces- 
sary to  return  to  Pekin. 

Towards  the  beginning  of  the  second  month,  the 
Emperor  was  obliged  to  go  and  offer  a  great  sacrifice 
in  the  Temple  of  Heaven.  As  soon  as  the  ceremony 
was  finished,  he  returned  to  the  House  of  Pleasure ; 
and  I  also  went  in  his  suite. 

The  four  eunuchs,  whom  the  Emperor  had  ap- 
pointed to  learn  the  use  of  the  air-pump,  had  now 
become  somewhat  acquainted  with  the  manner  of  its 
working.  The  three  missionaries,  whose  department 
was  clock-making,  —  Father  Archange  (Barefoot  Car- 
melite, Missionary  of  the  Sacred  Congregation),  and 
Fathers  Vantavon  and  Mericourt,  the  Jesuits,  —  had 
exhibited  all  the  different  pieces  of  the  machine.  The 
eunuchs  who  attended  me,  with  some  others  whom 
they  had  brought  to  aid  them,  told  me  that  the  Em- 
peror, being  very  anxious  to  see  the  different  experi- 
ments, would  come  on  the  loth  of  March  to  you-y- 
koa7i  (the  Place  of  Workshops).  I  repaired  there  early 
in  the  morning,  and  made  the  eunuchs  go  through 
the   different   experiments   on   the  compression,  the 


GLIMPSES  OF  THE  COURT  OF  CHINA.       1 49 


expansion,  and  other  properties  of  air.  His  Majesty 
came  there  after  mid-day,  and  asked  me  the  explana- 
tion of  each.  He  wished  to  know  the  interior  work- 
ing of  the  instrument.  I  endeavored  to  explain  it  to 
him  by  means  of  the  drawings,  which  I  had  caused  to 
be  executed  to  represent  those  parts  which  one  could 
not  see  when  the  machine  was  not  taken  to  pieces. 
He  directed  me  to  prepare  the  experiments  for  the 
next  day,  and  to  observe  the  same  order  I  had  used 
in  the  description  I  had  given  him.  As  soon  as  the 
Emperor  had  returned  to  his  apartment,  he  sent  an 
order  to  the  eunuchs  to  bring  the  air-pump,  and  to 
repeat  all  the  experiments  which  had  been  made 
before  him  at  the  workshops. 

The  next  day,  March  nth,  when  I  arrived  at  the 
workshops,  the  eunuchs  informed  me  of  every  thing 
which  had  taken  place  the  day  before  in  the  Emperor's 
apartment,  and  told  me  of  many  questions  which  his 
Majesty  had  asked  on  the  subject,  to  which  they  had 
not  been  able  to  give  any  answers.  As  his  Majesty 
had  given  orders  to  prepare  some  new  experiments,  I 
thought  it  proper,  for  good  reasons,  to  make  them 
take  the  machine  to  pieces  ;  after  which,  having  again 
put  it  together  and  tried  it,  I  saw  that  it  was  in  good 
condition.  When,  therefore,  his  Majesty  came,  after 
mid-day,  I  explained  to  him  the  different  valves,  pis- 
tons, cocks,  &c. 

The  Emperor  then  caused  them  again  to  carry  the 
instrument  to  his  apartment,  and  afterwards  to  one  of 
the  European  palaces,  to  keep  it  there  with  a  quantity 
of   European   curiosities   which   they   had   collected. 


ISO 


HISTORICAL  SCENES, 


The  next  day,  his  Majesty,  to  show  his  satisfaction 
with  the  air-pump,  which  was  the  first  he  had  seen, 
again  gave  three  large  pieces  of  silk  ;  for  Father 
Mericourt  and  Brother  Pansi,  in  whose  names  it  had 
been  presented,  one  to  each  of  them,  and  the  third  for 
myself. 

I  perceive,  Monsieur,  that  I  have  said  nothing  again 
about  the  meals  of  the  Emperor,  as  T  promised  to  do. 
His  Majesty  always  eats  alone,  and  no  one  assists  at 
his  repast  but  the  eunuchs  who  wait  on  him.  The 
hour  of  his  dinner  is  regularly  fixed  at  eight  o'clock  in 
the  morning,  and  that  f/f  his  supper  at  two  o'clock  in 
the  afternoon.  Besides  these  tv/o  meals,  he  takes 
nothing  during  the  day,  except  some  drink  to  which 
he  is  accustomed,  and  towards  night  some  light  refresh- 
ment. He  has  never  used  wine,  or  any  other  liquor 
that  could  intoxicate.  But,  for  some  years  past,  by 
advice  of  his  physicians,  he  uses  a  kind  of  very  old 
wine,  or  rather  beer,  as  are  all  the  Chinese  wines,  of 
which  he  takes  a  glass  hot  in  the  middle  of  the  day, 
and  another  towards  evening.  His  ordinary  drink  dur- 
ing his  meals  is  tea,  either  simply  steeped  in  water, 
or  well  mixed  with  milk,  or  composed  of  different 
kinds  of  tea  pounded  together,  worked  and  prepared 
in  different  fashions.  These  drinks  of  prepared  tea 
are  generally  very  agreeable  to  the  taste,  and  many  of 
them  very  nourishing,  without  loading  the  stomach. 

Notwithstanding  the  quantity  and  the  magnificence 
of  the  dishes  which  are  served  to  his  Majesty,  he 
never  spends  more  than  a  quarter  of  an  hour  at  each 
meal.     I  should  have  found  difficulty  in  believing  this, 


GLIMPSES  OF  THE  COURT  OF  CHINA. 


151 


if  I  had  not  myself  very  often  had  proof  of  it  when  I 
was  in  the  antechamber  of  the  apartment  where  he 
was  taking  his  meal,  or  in  other  passages,  where  I 
have  been  taken  to  see  all  that  was  served  to  him  car- 
ried in  or  brought  out.  The  dishes,  which  should  be 
eaten  hot,  are  in  vessels  of  gold  or  silver,  of  such  con- 
struction that  they  will  serve  at  the  same  time  for 
plates  or  for  chafing-dishes.  These  vessels  have  al- 
most the  form  of  our  large  silver  dishes,  arranged 
with  two  movable  rings,  taking  the  place  of  what  we 
call  the  ears  of  the  dish.  The  bottom  of  these  dishes 
is  double,  and  about  the  base  of  the  higher  one  is 
soldered  a  pipe,  of  two  inches  in  diameter,  and  raised 
about  an  inch  above  the  edge  of  the  dish.  It  is  by 
this  pipe  that  they  introduce  between  the  two  bottoms 
lighted  charcoal,  for  which  the  pipe  serves  as  an  air- 
hole. The  whole  ha  3  a  cover  of  proper  size,  around 
which  passes  the  pipe,  and  the  dishes  are  thus  kept 
hot  for  a  long  time  ;  so  that  when  his  Majesty  is 
walking  in  the  palace  or  in  the  gardens,  he  takes  his 
meal  in  the  place  where  it  finds  him  when  the  hour 
for  it  has  come.  All  the  different  dishes  which  should 
be  served  to  him  are  carried  by  the  eunuchs  in  large 
varnished  boxes,  some  of  which  are  of  several  stories. 
By  this  means  they  have  nothing  to  fear  from  the 
wind  or  the  rain,  or  any  other  injuries  from  the 
weather. 

The  great  officers  of  the  palace  are  not  employed 
more  than  a  quarter  of  an  hour  at  each  meal.  The 
dishes  which  they  serve  at  table  are  already  cut  up 
into  small  pieces.     It  is  not  the  custom  there  to  serve 


152 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


\      \ 


many  courses  or  any  dessert.  The  fruits,  pastry,  and 
other  dishes  of  dessert,  they  eat  either  in  the  evening 
before  they  go  to  sleep,  or  at  some  time  during  the 
day,  by  way  of  refreshment.  They  never  use  wines 
at  meals  which  are  taken  at  the  palace.  Those  who 
find  it  necessary,  take  it  in  the  evening,  after  they 
have  left  the  palace,  and  there  is  no  probability  that 
they  will  have  to  appear  again  that  day  before  the 
Emperor. 


i- 


"I  • 

411 


THE  RHODE  ISLAND  PRIVATEER. 


153 


VIII. 
THE  RHODE   ISLAND   PRIVATEER. 

1745- 

[The  following  letter  contains  a  chapter  in  the  early  history 
of  the  Rhode  Island  people,  which  has  never  before  been  pub- 
lished. Strange  that  the  story  of  this  cruise,  after  being  buried 
so  long,  should  now  be  unearthed  ;  that,  after  being  locked  up  in 
the  old  French  of  the  original  writer  for  one  hundred  and  thirty 
years,  it  should  now  be  brought  to  light  for  the  benefit  of  a  dis- 
tant generation ! 

Perhaps  it  may  be  a  matter  of  interest  to  the  descendants  of 
Captain  Simeon  Potter,  and  of  the  others,  who,  in  the  "  Old 
French  War,"  were  together  in  the  good  ship  "  Prince  Charles 
of  Lorraine,"  — 

"As  they  sailed,  as  they  sailed." 

Note.  —  We  will  add  an  extract  from  a  letter  received  from  a 
gentleman  in  Rhode  Island,  which  gives  the  subsequent  life  of 
Captain  Potter :  — 

"Captain  Potter  returned  to  Bristol,  \vhero  he  lived  many  years, 
and  where  he  died,  leaving  a  large  fortune,  which,  as  he  had  no  chil- 
dren, was  divided  among  his  nine  sisters.  Tie  silver  he  brought 
from  Oyapoc  was  also  given  to  them.  Soine  pieces  still  remain  in  the 
possession  of  their  descendants. 

One  of  these  sisters  married  Mark  Anthony  De  Wolf,  first  lieuten- 
ant at  the  time  of  the  attack  on  Oyapoc.  He  was  a  young  man  of 
French  and  German  descent,  brought  by  Captain  Potter  from  the 
Island  of  Guadaloupe."  —  Trans.\ 


7* 


154 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


Letter  of  Father  Fatigue,  Missionary  of  the  Society 

of  Jesus,  to  Father ,  of  the  same  Society,  cdh- 

taiiiing  an  Account  of  the  Capture  of  Fort  d'Oyapoc 
by  an  English  pirate} 

Ai  CAYE^yE,  the  22d  of  December,  1744. 

My  Reverend  Father,  —  The  peacfe  of  our  Lord 
be  with  you !  I  will  make  you  a  partaker  of  the 
greatest  happiness  I  have  experienced  in  my  life,  by 
informing  you  of  the  opportunity  I  had  of  suffering 
something  for  the  glory  of  God. 

I  returned  to  Oyapoc  on  the  25th  of  October  last. 
Some  days  afterwards,  I  received  at  my  house  Father 
d'Autilhac,  who  had  returned  from  his  mission  to 
Ouanari,  and  Father  d'Huberlant,  who  is  settled  at 
the  confluence  of  the  rivers  Oyapoc  and  Camoppi, 
where  he  had  formed  a  new  mission.  Thus  we  found 
ourselves,  three  missionaries,  together ;  and  we  were 
enjoying  the  pleasure  of  a  reunion,  so  rare  in  these 
countries,  when  divine  Providence,  to  try  us,  per- 
mitted the  occurrence  of  one  of  those  wholly  unex- 
pected events  which  in  one  day  destroyed  the  fruit 
of  many  years'  labor.  I  will  relate  it,  with  all  the 
attending  circumstances. 

Scarcely  had  war  been  declared  between  France 
and  England,  when  the  English  were  sent  from  North 
America  to  cruise  among  the  islands  to  the  leeward 
of  Cayenne.     They  determined  to  touch  there,  in  the 


1  The   words   used   by  Father    Fauque  are 
Trans. 


'  corsaire  anglois. ' '  — 


THE  RHODE  ISLAND  PRIVATEER. 


155 


hope  of  capturing  some  vessel,  pillaging  some  dwell- 
ings, and,  above  all,  of  obtaining  some  news  of  the 
"  Senau,"  which  was  lost  not  long  since  near  the  river 
Maroni.  Having  gone  too  far  south,  and  the  water 
giving  out,  they  approached  Oyapoc  to  obtain  some. 
We  should  have  been  naturally  informed  of  it,  either 
by  the  Indians,  who  go  out  frequently  to  hunt  or  fish, 
or  by  the  guard,  which  our  commander  had  prudently 
posted  upon  a  mountain  at  the  mouth  of  the  river, 
whence  they  could  see  to  the  distance  of  three  or  four 
leagues.  But,  on  the  one  hand,  the  Aroiias  Indians, 
who  came  from  Mayacor^  to  Ouanari,  having  been 
seized  by  the  English,  gave  them  information  of  the 
little  colony  of  Oyapoc,  of  which  they  were  ignorant, 
and  on  which  they  had  no  designs  when  leaving  their 
own  country.  On  the  other  hand,  the  sentinels  who 
were  on  guard,  and  who  should  have  been  our  security, 
themselves  acted  as  guides  to  those  who  surprised  us. 
Thus  every  thing  united  to  cause  us  to  fall  into  the 
hands  of  these  pirates.^ 

Their  chief  was  Captain  Simeon  Potter,  a  native  of 
New  England,  fitted  out  to  cruise  with  a  commission 
from  Williems  Gueene,  Governor  of  Rodelan,^  and 
commanding  the  vessel  "  Prince  Charles  of  Lorraine," 


1  Les  corsaires. 

'^  Suspecting  that  Rodelan  and  Rhode  Islattd  -wcxt  similar  enough  in 
sound  to  mislead  Father  Fauque,  we  examined  the  list  of  governors 
of  Rhode  Island,  and  found  that  William  Greene  was  governor  in 
1744-5.  This,  therefore,  was  a  Rhode  Island  privateer.  Father 
Fauque  says  Captain  Potter  was  '■'■Creole  de  la  N^ouvelle  Angleterre .''^ 
He,  of  course,  means  he  was  a  native  of  New  England,  and  we  have 
thus  translated  it.  —  Trans. 


I 

I. 


V 


156 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


of  ten  cannon,  twelve  swivel-guns,  and  a  c  w  of 
sixty-two  men.  They  cast  anchor  on  the  6th  of 
November,  and  began  taking  in  water  at  the  moun- 
tain d' Argent.  (This  is  the  name  of  the  country 
on  the  inner  side  of  the  bay  formed  by  tlie  river 
d'Oyapoc.)  On  the  7th,  their  long-boat,  returning  to 
the  ship,  saw  a  canoe  of  Indians,  which  was  coming 
from  Cape  Orange.  (This  is  the  cape  which  forms 
the  other  point  of  the  bay.)  The  English  pursued 
them,  frightened  them  by  a  discharge  of  their  gun, 
seized  them,  and  carried  them  on  shipboard.  The 
next  day,  having  seen  a  fire  during  the  night  on 
another  mountain,  which  is  called  Mount  Lucas,  they 
sent  and  seized  two  young  men  who  were  placed  there 
as  sentinels.  They  might  have  had  time  to  come  and 
inform  us  ;  but  one  of  them,  a  traitor  to  his  country, 
did  not  wish  to  do  so. 

After  having  in  this  way  learned  the  situation,  the 
force,  and  generally  every  thing  which  related  to  the 
post  of  Oyapoc,  they  determined  to  surprise  it.  They 
attempted  the  enterprise  in  the  night,  between  the 
9th  and  loth.  But,  fearing  lest  daylight  might  over- 
take them  before  their  arrival,  they  turned  back,  and 
kept  themselves  concealed  during  all  the  day  of  the 
loth.  The  following  night  they  took  their  measures 
better.  They  arrived  a  little  after  the  setting  of  the 
moon,  and,  guided  by  the  two  young  Frenchmen,  they 
landed  about  a  hundred  yards  from  the  fort  of 
Oyapoc. 

The  sentinel  at  first  took  them  for  Indians  or 
negroes,  who  came  and  went  at  all  hours  during  the 


THE  RHODE  ISLAND  PRIVA  TEER. 


157 


night.  He  challenged  them,  but  they  made  no  reply, 
and  he  then  at  once  concluded  they  were  enemies. 
Every  one  woke  up  in  surprise ;  but  the  English 
were  within  the  place  before  any  one  had  time  to 
collect  his  thoughts.  For  myself,  who  was  living 
outside  the  fort,  and  was  roused  by  the  first  cry  of 
the  sentinel,  having  opened  my  door,  I  saw  them  file 
by  in  great  haste  ;  and,  not  being  myself  perceived,  I 
immediately  ran  to  awaken  our  Fathers. 

So  unexpected  a  surprise  in  the  middle  of  a  dark 
night,  the  weakness  of  the  post,  the  few  soldiers 
there  to  defend  it  (for  there  were  not  at  that  time 
more  than  ten  or  twelve  men),  the  frightful  shouts  of 
a  multitude  which  we  supposed,  as  was  natural,  more 
numerous  than  it  really  was,  the  vivid  and  terrible 
fire  which  they  kept  up  with  their  guns  and  pistols  on 
entering  the  place, — all  these  things  mduced  each 
one,  by  a  first  impulse  of  which  he  was  not  himself 
master,  to  take  to  flight,  and  conceal  himself  in  the 
woods  which  surrounded  us.  Our  commander,  how- 
ever, fired  and  wounded  in  the  left  arm  the  English 
captain,  a  young  man  about  thirty  years  of  age.  What 
is  singular,  the  captain  was  the  only  one  wounded  on 
either  side. 

Our  two  missionaries,  however,  who  had  no  spiritual 
charge  at  this  post,  and  one  of  whom,  through  his  zeal 
and  friendship,  wished  to  remain  at  my  place,  pressed 
by  my  solicitations,  took  refuge  in  the  depths  of  the 
forest,  with  some  Indians  of  their  attendants  and  all 
our  servants.  For  myself,  I  remained  in  my  house, 
which  was  distant  from   the   fort   about  a  hundred 


158 


HISTORICAL   SCENES. 


\  -x 


yards,  having  resolved  to  go  first  to  the  church  to 
consume  the  consecrated  wafer,  and  afterwards  to  carry 
spiritual  aid  to  the  French,  supposing  that  some  of 
them  had  been  wounded  there  ;  as  I  thought,  certainly 
not  without  reason,  after  having  heard  so  much  firing 
of  guns,  that  our  people  had  made  some  resistance. 

I  went  out,  therefore,  to  execute  the  first  of  these 
projects  ;  when  a  negro  servant,  who,  through  good- 
ness of  heart  and  fidelity  (rare  qualities  among  the 
slaves),  had  remained  with  me,  represented  to  me 
that  I  would  certainly  be  discovered,  and  they  would 
not  fail  to  fire  at  me  in  the  first  heat  of  the  contest. 
I  yielded  to  these  reasons,  and,  as  I  only  remained  to 
render  to  my  flock  all  the  services  demanded  by  my 
ministry,  I  felt  scruples  at  uselessly  exposing  myself, 
and  determined  to  wait  until  break  of  day  to  show 
myself. 

You  can  easily  imagine,  my  Reverend  Father,  what 
a  variety  of  emotions  agitated  me  during  the  remainder 
of  that  night.  The  air  ceaselessly  resounded  with  cries 
and  shouts  and  yells,  and  with  the  discharge  of  guns 
and  pistols.  Presently  I  heard  the  doors  and  windows 
of  the  houses  opened,  and  the  furniture  overthrown 
with  a  great  crash  ;  and,  as  I  was  sufficiently  near  to 
distinguish  perf**i  Uy  the  noise  they  made  in  the 
church    '^  w:  '     'v  seized  with  an  inward  horror 

in  tb        *<"  loly  Sacrament  might  be  pro- 

fant  c    given    a    thousand    lives    to 

pr^A*  L  this  bucniege ;  but  there  was  not  time. 
Nevertheles  ,  to  hinder  it  by  the  only  way  which 
remained    ^o    me,    T    inwan    /    addressed    myself   to 


THE  RHODE  ISLAND  PRIVATEER, 


159 


Jesus  Christ,  and  earnestly  prayed  Him  to  guard 
His  adorable  Sacrament  from  the  profanation  which 
I  feared.  What  took  place  was  in  a  way  so  surpris- 
ing that  it  may  reasonably  be  regarded  as  a  miracle. 

During  all  this  tumult,  my  negro,  who  was  per- 
fectly aware  of  the  danger  we  were  running,  and  who 
had  not  the  same  reason  with  myself  for  this  voluntary 
exposure,  frequently  proposed  to  me  to  take  to  flight. 
But  I  was  unable  to  do  so.  I  knew  too  well  the  obli- 
gations of  my  office ;  and  I  could  only  wait  for  the 
moment  when  it  would  be  in  my  power  to  go  to  the 
fort,  and  see  in  what  state  were  the  French  soldiers, 
the  greater  part  of  whom  I  supposed  to  be  either  dead 
or  wounded.  I  said,  therefore,  to  the  slave  that  on 
this  occasion  he  was  his  own  master ;  that  I  could 
not  force  him  to  remain  with  me  ;  but  that,  neverthe- 
less, I  should  be  pleased  if  he  did  not  abandon  me. 
I  ^dded  that,  if  he  had  any  grievous  sin  on  his  con- 
science, it  would  be  best  for  him  to  confess  it,  to  be 
prepared  for  any  contingency,  since  he  was  not  certain 
but  what  they  might  take  away  his  life.  This  con- 
versation made  an  impression  on  him,  so  that  he 
recovered  courage  and  remained  firm. 

As  soon  as  day  dawned,  I  ran"  to  the  church,  creep- 
ing through  the  underwood  ;  and,  although  they  had 
sentinels  and  marauders  on  every  side,  I  had  the  good 
fortune  not  to  be  seen.  As  I  entered  the  sacristy, 
which  I  found  open,  tears  filled  my  eyes  when  I  saw 
the  cupboard  for  the  vestments  and  linen,  where  also 
I  kept  the  chalice  and  the  sacred  vessels,  broken  open 
and  shattered,  and   many  of  the  vestments  scattered 


i6o 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


\Mi 


■i 


here  and  there.  I  went  into  the  choir  of  the  church, 
where  I  saw  the  altar  half  uncovered,  and  the  cloths 
thrown  together  in  a  heap.  I  examined  the  taber- 
nacle, and  found  they  had  not  noticed  a  little  piece  of 
cotton,  which  I  was  accustomed  to  place  at  the  open- 
ing of  the  lock  to  prevent  the  ravers  from  getting  into 
it.  (This  is  an  insect  very  common  in  the  islands, 
which  only  comes  out  at  night,  and  is  very  similar  to 
the  gadfly.)  I  supposed  that  the  door  was  also  broken 
open  ;  but,  placing  my  hand  upon  it,  I  found  that  it 
had  not  been  touched.  Overcome  wilh  wonder  and 
joy  and  thankfulness,  I  took  the  key  which  these 
heretics  had  had  under  their  hands.  I  opened  it  with 
reverence,  and  partook  of  the  Sacrament,  very  uncer- 
tain whether  I  should  ever  again  have  that  blessing ; 
for  what  has  not  a  man  of  my  profession  to  fear  from 
pirates,  and  these  pirates,  too,  being  English } 

After  I  had  thus  received  the  Sacrament,  I  fell  on 
my  knees  to  return  thanks  ;  and  1  told  my  negro  to 
go  in  the  mean  while  into  my  chamber,  which  was 
near  at  hand.  H  .  went  there  ;  but,  in  returning,  was 
seen  and  arrested  by  a  sailor.  The  slave  begged  for 
mercy,  and  the  Englishman  did  not  do  him  any  harm. 
I  showed  myself  then  at  the  door  of  the  sacristy,  and 
immediately  saw  that  I  was  aimed  at.  It  was  neces- 
sary, therefore,  to  surrender ;  so  I  came  forward,  and 
we  took  together  the  way  to  the  fort.  When  we 
entered  the  place,  I  saw  every  face  expressing  the 
greatest  joy,  each  one  congratulating  himself  that 
they  had  captured  a  priest. 

The  first  one  who  approached  me  was  the  captain 


THE  RHODE  ISLAND  PRIVATEER. 


l6l 


(I 


himself.  He  was  a  man  small  in  stature,  and  not  in 
any  respect  differing  from  the  others  in  dress.  He 
had  his  left  arm  in  a  sling,  a  sabre  in  his  right  hand, 
and  two  pistols  in  his  belt.  As  he  was  acquainted 
with  some  words  of  French,  he  told  me  "  that  I  was 
very  welcome ;  that  I  had  nothing  to  fear,  as  no  one 
would  attempt  my  life." 

In  the  mean  while,  M.  de  Lage  de  la  Landerie, 
Writer  of  the  king,  and  our  storekeeper,  having  ap- 
peared, I  asked  him  in  what  condition  were  our  peo- 
ple, and  if  many  of  them  were  killed  or  wounded.  He 
answered  me  that  they  were  not ;  that  of  our  soldiers 
he  had  seen  only  the  sergeant  and  one  sentinel,  and 
that  on  neither  side  was  any  one  wounded  but  the 
English  captain  alone,  in  whose  power  we  now  were. 
I  was  delighted  to  learn  that  our  commander,  the 
officers,  and  their  soldiers,  had  sufficient  time  to  es- 
cape ;  and  as  by  this  fact  the  reasons  which  had 
induced  me  to  remain  no  longer  existed,  and  as  my 
personal  ministry  was  not  necessary,  I  should  have 
much  preferred  being  at  liberty,  and,  could  I  have 
done  so,  would  have  retreated.  But  I  could  not  longer 
dream  of  that ;  and  at  that  very  moment  two  of  our 
soldiers,  who  were  found  concealed,  were  seized,  and 
increased  the  number  of  our  prisoners. 

At  length  dinner-time  came.  I  was  invited,  but  I 
certainly  had  no  inclination  to  eat.  I  knew  that  our 
soldiers  and  the  two  missionary  Fathers  were  in  the 
depth  of  the  forest,  without  clothes,  food,  or  aid.  I 
had  no  news  of  them,  nor  was  I  able  to  procure  any. 
This  reflection  overwhelmed  me  ;  it  was  necessary. 


l62 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


!'if^ 


however,  to  accept  their  repeated  invitations,  which 
seemed  to  me  to  be  sincere. 

Scarcely  had  the  meal  commenced,  when  I  saw 
arriving  the  first  plunder  they  had  made  at  my  house. 
It  was  natural  that  I  should  be  moved.  Indeed,  I 
showed  it  ;  so  that  the  captain  said  to  me,  as  an  excuse 
for  himself,  that  the  King  of  France  had  first  declared 
war  against  the  King  of  England,  and  that  in  conse- 
quence of  it  the  French  had  already  taken,  pillaged, 
and  burned  an  English  post  named  Campo,  near  Cape 
Breton,  and  that  several  persons,  including  children, 
had  been  smothered  in  the  flame?. 

I  answered  him  that,  without  wishing  to  enter  into 
the  detail  of  the  affairs  of  Europe,  our  respective 
kings  being  to-day  at  war,  I  did  not  take  it  amiss  ; 
but  was  only  surprised  that  he  should  have  come  to 
attack  Oyapoc,  which  was  not  worth  the  trouble. 
He  replied  that  he  himself  exceedingly  regretted 
having  come  here,  as  this  delay  might  cause  him  to 
miss  two  merchant  vessels,  richly  loaded,  which  were 
on  the  point  of  sailing  from  the  harbor  of  Cayenne. 
I  then  said  to  him  that,  since  he  saw  for  himself  how 
inconsiderable  was  this  post,  and  that  he  had  scarcely 
any  thing  to  gain  from  it,  I  prayed  him  to  accept  a 
reasonable  ransom,  for  my  church,  myself,  my  negro, 
and  every  thing  belonging  to  me.  This  proposition 
was  reasonable,  but  was,  nevertheless,  rejected.  He 
wished  that  I  should  treat  with  him  for  the  fort  and 
all  its  dependencies.  But  I  bade  him  observe  that 
this  was  not  a  fit  proposition  to  make  to  a  simple 
priest  ;  that,  besides,  the  Court  of  France  had  so  little 


11' 


THE  RHODE  ISLAND  PRIVATEER. 


if>3 


regard  for  the  post  that  recent  news  from  Paris  had 
apprised  us  that  it  would  be  abandoned  as  soon  as 
practicable.  "  Well,"  said  he,  in  a  spiteful  way, 
"  since  you  do  not  wish  to  entertain  my  proposition, 
we  must  continue  our  depredations,  and  make  repri- 
sals for  all  that  the  French  have  done  against  us." 

They  continued,  therefore,  to  transport  from  our 
houses  furniture,  clothes,  provisions,  all  with  a  disorder 
and  confusion  that  was  remarkable.  What  gave  me 
the  deepest  pain  was  to  see  the  sacred  vessels  in  these 
profane  and  sacrilegious  hands.  I  collected  myself  for 
a  moment,  and,  awakening  all  my  zeal,  I  told  them 
what  reason  and  faith  and  religion  inspired  me  to  say 
in  the  most  forcible  manner.  W^ith  words  of  per- 
suasion I  mingled  motives  of  fear  for  so  criminal  a 
profanation.  The  example  of  Belshazzar  was  not  for- 
gotten ;  and  I  am  able  to  say  to  you  with  truth,  my 
Reverend  Father,  that  I  saw  many  moved,  and  dis- 
posed to  return  these  articles  to  me  ;  but  cupidity 
and  avarice  prevailed,  and  on  the  same  day  all  the 
silver  was  packed  up  and  carried  aboard  the  vessel. 

The  captain,  more  susceptible  of  feeling  than  all 
the  others,  as  he  had  always  seemed  to  me,  told  me 
that  he  would  willingly  yield  to  me  what  he  was  able 
to  return,  but  that  he  had  no  control  over  the  will  of 
the  others  ;  that  all  the  crew  having  part  in  the  booty, 
he  was  not  able,  as  captain,  to  dispose  of  any  but  his 
own  share  ;  but  that  he  would  do  all  that  was  in  his 
power  to  induce  the  others  to  agree  to  what  I  pro- 
posed. This  was  to  pay  them  at  Cayenne,  or  at  Suri- 
nam (a  Dutch  colony,  which  was  not  far  distant,  and 


&ji 


1 64 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


,1  .       1 ' 


where,  they  told  me,  they  wished  to  go),  or.  even  in 
Europe  by  bills  of  exchange,  for  the  value  of  the  sil- 
ver in  the  sacred  vessels.  But  he  was  not  able  to 
obtain  any  thing. 

Some  time  afterwards,  the  first  lieutenant  asked  me, 
through  an  interpreter  "  what  induced  me  to  surrender 
myself  to  them  } "  I  replied  to  him,  "  that  the  per- 
suasion I  was  under  that  some  of  our  soldiers  had 
been  wounded  had  determined  me  to  remain  for  their 
relief."  "  And  did  you  not  fear  being  killed  .-* "  he 
added.  "  Yes,  v^rithout  doubt,"  I  said  ;  "  but  the  fear 
of  death  is  not  capable  of  stopping  a  minister  of  Jesus 
Christ,  when  he  should  discharge  his  duty.  Every 
true  Christian  is  obliged  to  sacrifice  his  life  rather 
than  commit  a  sin  ;  and  I  should  have  thought  that  I 
was  guilty  of  a  very  great  one,  if,  having  charge  of 
souls  in  my  parish,  I  had  entirely  abandoned  them  in 
their  need.  You  know,  indeed,"  I  continued,  "  you 
Protestant  people,  who  pride  yourselves  so  much  on 
reading  the  Scriptures,  that  it  is  only  the  hireling 
shepherd  who  flees  before  the  wolf  when  he  attacks 
the  sheep."  At  this  discourse  they  looked  at  one 
another,  and  seemed  to  me  to  be  entirely  astonished. 
This  lesson  is,  without  doubt,  something  a  little  dif- 
ferent from  that  of  their  pretended  Reformation. 

For  myself,  I  was  all  the  while  uncertain  with 
regard  to  my  own  fate,  and  I  saw  well  that  I  had 
every  thing  to  fear  from  such  people.  I  addressed 
myself,  therefore,  to  the  holy  guardian  angels,  and  I 
began  a  Novena^  in  their  honor,  not  doubting  but 

1  A  series  of  devotions  extending  through  nine  days.  —  Trans. 


1 '        il 

|!    1 

i  s 

THE  RHODE  ISLAND  PRIVATEER. 


165 


they  would  cause  something  to  turn  to  my  advantage. 
I  prayed  them  to  assist  me  in  this  difficult  emergency 
in  which  I  found  myself  ;  and  I  should  say  here,  to 
give  a  higher  sanction  to  this  devotion,  so  well  known 
and  so  established  in  the  usage  of  the  Church,  what  I 
have  recognized  in  my  own  particular  case,  that  I  have 
received  each  day  the  signal  blessings  of  God,  through 
the  intercession  of  these  heavenly  spirits. 

However,  as  soon  as  night  approached,  —  that  is  to 
say,  towards  six  o'clock,  for  that  is  the  time  at  which 
the  sun  sets  here  during  the  whole  year,  - —  the  Eng- 
lish drum  commenced  beating.  They  assembled  on 
the  Place,  and  posted  their  sentinels  on  all  sides. 
That  being  done,  the  rest  of  the  crew,  as  long  as  the 
night  lasted,  did  not  cease  eating  and  drinking.  For 
myself,  I  was  constantly  visited  in  my  hammock,  since 
they  feared,  without  doubt,  that  I  would  try  to  escape. 
In  this  they  were  mistaken  ;  for  two  reasons  detained 
me.  The  first  was,  that  I  had  given  them  my  parole, 
by  which  I  had  again  constituted  myself  their  pris- 
oner, and  I  could  not  go  out  of  their  hands  except  by 
means  of  exchange  or  by  ransom.  The  second  was, 
that,  as  long  as  I  remained  with  them,  I  had  some 
slight  hope  that  I  might  recover  the  sacred  vessels, 
or  at  least  the  vestments  and  other  furniture  of  my 
church.  As  soon  as  it  was  day,  the  pillage  recom- 
menced, with  the  same  confusion  and  the  same  dis- 
order as  the  day  before.  Each  carried  to  the  fort 
whatever  happened  to  fall  into  his  hands,  and  threw 
it  down  in  a  pile.  One  arrived  wearing  an  old  cas- 
sock ;  another  in  a  woman's  petticoat  ;  a  third  with 


i66 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


•if; 


:^i- 


the  crown  of  a  bonnet  on  his  head.  It  was  the  same 
with  those  who  guarded  the  booty.  They  searched  in 
the  heap  of  clothes,  and  when  they  found  any  thing 
which  suited  their  fancy,  —  as  a  peruke,  a  laced 
cJiapeaii,  or  a  dress,  —  they  immediately  put  it  on,  and 
made  three  or  four  turns  through  the  room,  with  great 
satisfaction,  after  which  they  resumed  their  fantastical 
rags.  They  were  like  a  band  of  monkeys  or  of  sav- 
ages, who  had  never  been  away  from  the  depths  of  the 
forest.  A  parasol  or  a  mirror,  the  smallest  article  of 
furniture  a  little  showy,  excited  their  admiration. 
This  did  not  surprise  me,  when  I  learned  that  they 
had  scarcely  any  communication  with  Europe,  and 
that  Rodelan  was  a  kind  of  little  republic,  which  did 
not  pay  any  tribute  to  the  King  of  England,  which 
elected  its  own  governor  every  year,  and  which  had 
not  even  any  silver  money,  but  only  notes  for  daily 
commerce  ;  for  this  is  the  impression  I  gained  from 
all  they  told  me. 

In  the  evening,  the  lieutenant  informed  himself  of 
every  thing  which  related  to  the  dwellings  of  the 
French  along  the  river,  —  how  many  there  were  of 
them,  at  what  distances  they  were,  how  many  inhabi- 
tants each  had,  &c.  Afterwards,  he  took  with  him 
ten  men,  and  one  of  the  young  Frenchmen  who  had 
already  served  as  guide  to  surprise  us  ;  and,  after 
having  made  all  the  necessary  preparations,  they  set 
out,  and  went  up  the  river.  But  they  found  nothing, 
or  very  few  articles,  because  the  colonists,  having 
been  warned  by  our  fugitives,  had  placed  all  their 
effects  in  concealment,  and  particularly  their  negroes, 


THE  RHODE  ISLAND  PRIVATEER. 


167 


who,  more  than  any  thing  else,  excited  the  cupidity  of 
the  Enghsh.  Finding  themselves  thus  disappointed 
in  their  hopes,  they  spent  their  anger  on  the  buildings, 
which  they  burned,  without,  however,  injuring  the 
plantations.  This,  however,  caused  us  to  suspect  that 
they  had  some  intentions  of  returning. 

As  to  those  of  us  who  were  in  the  fort,  we  spent 
this  night  very  much  like  the  preceding,  —  the  same 
agitations,  the  same  excesses  on  the  part  of  our  ene- 
mies, and  the  same  disquietude  on  our  part.  The 
second  lieutenant,  who  was  left  in  command,  did  not 
lose  sight  of  me,  fearing,  without  doubt,  that  I  wished 
to  profit  by  the  absence  of  the  captain  and  the  first 
lieutenant  to  make  my  escape.  I  had  a  great  deal  of 
difficulty  in  reassuring  them  on  this  point,  and  could 
not  convince  them.  People  of  this  kind,  accustomed 
to  judge  others  by  themselves,  are  not  able  to  imagine 
that  an  honorable  man,  that  a  priest,  was  able  and 
obliged  to  keep  his  parole  in  such  a  case. 

When  the  day  dawned,  he  seemed  a  little  less 
uneasy  on  my  account.  Towards  eight  o'clock,  they 
all  placed  themselves  at  table ;  and,  after  a  miserable 
repast,  one  of  them  attempted  to  enter  into  a  contro- 
versy with  me.  He  put  many  questions  to  me  about 
Confession,  about  the  worship  which  we  gave  to  the 
Cross,  to  images,  &c.  "  Do  you  confess  your  parish- 
ioners }  "  he  presently  asked  me. 

"  Yes,"  I  replied,  "  whenever  they  come  to  me  ; 
but  they  do  not  do  so  as  often  as  they  should,  or  as  I 
could  wish  them,  for  the  zeal  I  have  for  the  salva- 
tion of  their  souls." 


i68 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


t     t 


"  And  do  you  really  think,"  he  added,  "  that  their 
sins  are  remitted  as  soon  as  they  have  declared  them 
to  you  ? " 

"  No,  assuredly,"  I  said  to  him  ;  "  a  mere  confession 
is  not  sufficient  to  produce  this.  It  is  necessary  that 
it  should  be  accompanied  by  a  true  sorrow  for  the  past 
and  a  sincere  resolution  for  the  future,  without  which 

auricular  Confession  will  have  no  efficacy  to  blot  out 

■      II 
sms. 

"  And  as  to  the  images  and  the  Cross,"  he  replied, 
"  do  you  think  that  the  prayer  would  be  equally 
efficacious  without  this,  which  is  the  external  of 
religion  ? " 

"  The  prayer  is  good,  without  doubt,"  I  answered 
him  ;  "  but  permit  me  to  ask  you,  with  regard  to 
yourself,  why  in  families  do  they  preserve  the  por- 
traits of  a  father,  a  mother,  or  their  ancestors  ?  Is  it 
not  principally  to  awaken  their  own  remembrances  in 
thinking  of  the  benefits  they  have  received  from  them, 
and  to  animate  them  to  follow  their  good  examples  ? 
For  it  is  not  exactly  the  picture  which  they  honor,  but 
it  brings  back  to  them  all  which  it  represents.  In 
the  same  manner,  you  need  not  imagine  that  we 
Roman  Catholics  adore  the  wood  or  the  brass  ;  but 
we  use  it  to  nourish,  so  to  say,  our  devotion.  For 
how  could  a  reasonable  being  remain  unaffected  while 
beholding  the  figure  of  a  God  dying  on  the  Cross  for 
His  love  to  us .''  What  effect  may  not  be  produced 
on  the  soul  and  the  heart  by  the  image  of  a  martyr 
who  is  giving  his  life  for  Jesus  Christ } " 

"  Oh,  I  do  not  understand  it  so,"  said  the  English* 


THE  RHODE  ISLAND  PRIVATEER. 


169 


man  to  me  ;  and  I  well  knew  from  his  manner  that 
their  ministers  deceive  them  in  telling  them  that  the 
Papists,  as  they  call  us,  superstitiously  reverence  and 
adore  the  Cross  and  the  images,  valuing  them  for 
themselves. 

I  was  anxiously  waiting  for  the  return  of  those  who 
had  been  to  visit  the  dwellings,  when  they  came  to  me 
to  say  that  it  was  necessary  I  should  go  on  board  the 
ship,  as  Captain  Potter  wished  to  see  me  and  speak 
with  me.  I  had  done  every  thing'  in  my  power  by 
urging,  soliciting,  and  representing,  as  earnestly  as  I 
was  able,  all  the  reasons  I  had  for  not  embarking  so 
soon.  But  I  could  gain  nothing,  and  I  was  obliged  to 
obey  in  spite  of  mysc^i.  The  commander  of  the  party 
on  shore,  who,  in  the  absence  of  the  others,  was  the 
second  lieutenant,  when  I  came  to  speak  to  him  on 
this  point,  taking  hold  of  his  tongue  with  one  hand, 
and  with  the  other  making  a  semblance  of  piercing  or 
cutting  if,  gave  me  to  understand  that,  if  I  said  any 
more,  I  might  expect  bad  treatment.  I  had  reason  to 
t^ink  that  he  was  annoyed  at  the  strong  and  pathetic 
address  I  had  made  with  regard  to  the  profanation  of 
the  ornaments  of  the  church  and  the  sacred  vessels. 

We  embarked,  therefore,  towards  three  o'clock  in 
the  afternoon,  in  a  canoe ;  and,  although  the  ship  was 
not  much  more  than  three  leagues  distant  (the  captain 
having  now  caused  it  to  enter  the  river),  we  never- 
theless only  reached  it  in  about  eight  hours,  in  con- 
sequence of  the  remissness  of  the  rowers,  who  were 
constantly  drinking.  When  at  a  great  distance  I  saw 
the  hull  of  the  vessel  by  the  light  of  the  moon,  it 
8 


I/O 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


seemed  to  mc  to  be  entirely  out  of  the  water.  It  had, 
indeed,  run  aground  on  the  shore,  and  had  only  a  depth 
of  three  feet  of  water.  This  was  the  occasion  of  great 
alarm  to  me  ;  for  I  imagined  that  this  might  be  the 
fault  of  my  negro,  whom  they  had  selected  as  one  of 
the  pilots,  and  I  thought  that  the  captain  had  sent  to 
seek  me  to  make  me  bear  the  penalty  which  my  slave 
merited,  or  at  least  that  I  should  perish  with  the 
others  in  case  the  ship  should  be  wrecked.  What 
confirmed  me  for  some  time  in  this  sad  supposition 
was  the  liitle  degree  of  welcome  I  received  ;  but  I 
have  since  been  informed  that  there  was  no  design  in 
this,  and  that  the  cold  reception  which  alarmed  me 
was  caused  by  the  fact  that  they  were  all  busy  in 
working  the  vessel,  to  relieve  themselves  as  soon  as 
possible  from  the  uncomfortable  position  in  which 
they  were. 

As  soon  as  our  canoe  had  reached  the  ship,  I  saw 
descending  and  coming  to  me  a  young  man,  who  mur- 
dered the  French  language  in  some  little  attempt  to 
speak  it,  and  who  took  my  hand,  kissed  it,  and  in- 
formed me  that  he  was  an  Irishman  and  a  Roman 
Catholic.  He  even  made  the  sign  of  the  Cross,  which 
he  did  indifferently  well  ;  and  he  added  that,  in  right 
of  his  office  as  second  gunner,  he  had  a  berth  which 
he  wished  to  give  me,  and  thai,  if  any  one  should 
take  it  into  his  head  to  show  me  the  least  disrespect, 
he  well  knew  how  to  avenge  it.  This  introduction, 
though  shared  in  by  a  man  who  seemed  to  be  very 
drunk,  did  not  fail  to  tranquillize  me  somewhat.  He 
gave  me  his  hand,  to  aid  me  in  climbing  up  to  the  deck 


THE  RHODE  ISLAND  PRIVATEER. 


171 


an 


by  means  of  the  ropes.  Scarcely  had  I  mounted 
thither  when  I  encountered  my  negro.  I  asked  him 
at  once  why  he  caused  the  ship  to  run  aground,  and 
was  reassured  when  he  told  me  that  it  was  the  fault 
of  the  captain,  who  was  obstinate  in  holding  his  course 
in  the  middle  of  the  river,  although  he  had  repeatedly 
told  him  that  the  channel  ran  near  the  shore.     At  the 

» 

same  time  the  captain  appeared  on  the  quarter-deck, 
and  told  me.  with  great  coldness,  to  go  down  into  the 
cabin,  after  which  he  continued  to  devote  himself  to 
working  the  vessel. 

My  Irishman,  however,  did  not  leave  me,  but,  sitting 
at  the  door,  renewed  his  protestations  of  good-will, 
assuring  me  always  that  he  was  a  Roman  Catholic ; 
that  he  wished  to  confess  before  I  left  the  ship  ;  that 
he  had  formerly  received  the  Sacrament,  &c.  And, 
as  in  all  his  conversation,  he  constantly  mingled  in- 
vectives against  the  English  nation,  they  made  him 
leave  me,  forbidding  him  to  speak  with  me  for  the 
future,  under  penalty  of  chastisement.  He  received 
this  with  a  very  bad  grace ;  swearing,  blustering,  and 
protesting  that  he  would  speak  with  me  in  spite  of 
them. 

However,  he  went  away  ;  and  scarcely  had  he  gone 
when  another  came,  as  drunk  as  the  first,  and,  like 
him,  too,  an  Irishman.  He  was  the  surgeon,  who  at 
first  addressed  me  with  some  Latin  words,  —  Pater, 
misereor.  I  attempted  to  reply  to  him  in  Latin  ;  but 
I  soon  found  that  these  words  constituted  the  whole 
of  his  knowledge  of  the  language  ;  and,  as  he  was  no 
better  acquainted  with  French,  we  could  1  old  no  con- 
versation together. 


1/2 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


I 


I , 


In  the  mean  while  it  grew  late,  and  I  felt  sleepiness 
pressing  on  me,  having  scarcely  closed  my  eyes  dur- 
ing the  preceding  nights.  I  did  not  know  where  to 
go  to  obtain  a  little  repose.  The  ship  was  so  careened 
over  that  it  was  necessary  to  be  continually  fastened 
to  prevent  one's  self  rolling.  I  wanted  to  lie  down  in 
one  of  the  three  berths ;  but  I  did  not  dare,  for  fear 
some  one  would  immediately  force  me  to  leave  it. 
The  captain  saw  my  embarrassment,  and,  touched 
with  the  miserable  figure  we  made,  sitting  on  the 
chests,  —  the  storekeeper  and  myself,  —  he  told  us  we 
could  lodge  in  the  berth  at  the  bottom  of  the  cabin. 
He  even  added,  politely,  th:»t  he  regretted  not  being 
able  to  give  one  to  each,  but  his  ship  was  too  small  to 
do  so.  I  very  willingly  accepted  his  offer,  and  we 
arranged  for  ourselves  as  well  as  we  could  on  a  pile  of 
rags. 

Notwithstanding  all  the  disquietudes  of  my  situa- 
tion, I  was  drowsy  from  weariness,  and  during  the 
night  slept  half  the  time.  Being  half  the  time  awake, 
I  perceived  that  the  vessel  had  begun  moving.  It 
insensibly  floated  ;  and,  to  prevent  it  from  afterwards 
settling  down  again,  they  drove  two  yard-arms  into 
the  mud,  one  on  each  side,  which  should  hold  the  hull 
of  the  vessel  in  equilibrium. 

As  soon  as  day  came,  and  it  was  necessary  to  take 
some  nourishment,  I  had  a  new  source  of  torment,  for 
the  water  was  so  offensive  that  I  was  not  able  even  to 
taste  it.  The  Indians  and  negroes,  who  certainly  are 
not  at  all  fastidious,  preferred  to  drink  the  water  of 
the  river,  however  muddy  and  brackish  it  may  be.     I 


THE  RHODE  ISLAND  PRIVATEER.        1 73 


inquired,  therefore,  of  the  captain  why  he  did  not  pro- 
cure other  water,  since  very  near  this  was  a  spring,  to 
which  I  was  accustomed  to  send  to  procure  the  water 
I  used  at  the  fort.  He  made  no  reply,  thinking,  per- 
haps, that  I  wished  to  lead  him  into  some  ambush. 
But,  after  having  thoroughly  questioned  the  French, 
the  negroes,  and  the  Indians,  whom  he  had  taken 
prisoners,  h>^  determined  to  send  the  long-boat  to  land, 
with  my  slave.  It  made  many  trips  during  that  and 
the  following  days  ;  so  that  we  all  had  the  pleasure  of 
having  good  water,  although  many  scarcely  used  it, 
preferring  the  wine  and  rum  which  they  had  on  the 
deck  at  will. 

I  ought,  however,  to  say  in  commendation  of  the 
captain  that  he  was  entirely  sober.  He  even  fre- 
quently expressed  to  me  the  pain  he  felt  at  the 
excesses  of  his  crew,  to  whom,  according  to  the 
custom  of  these  pirates,  he  was  obliged  to  allow  an 
abundance  of  liberty.  He  made  me  afterwards  a  dis- 
closure, which  was  sufficiently  pleasant. 

"  Monsieur,"  he  said  to  me,  "  do  you  know  that  to- 
morrow, being  the  fifth  of  November,  according  to 
our  method  of  computation  "  [for  we  French  people 
count  it  to  be  the  fifteenth],  "  the  English  have  a  great 
festival  .-* " 

"  And  what  is  the  festival  .'*  "  I  asked  him. 

"  We  burn  the  Pope,"  he  answered,  laughing. 

"  Explain  to  me,"  I  said  ;  "  what  is  this  ceremony  "i " 

"They  dress  up  in  a  burlesque  style,"  he  said,  "a 
kind  of  ridiculous  figure,  which  they  call  the  Pope, 
and  which  they  afterwards  burn,  while  singing  some 


-Is 


!,      •• 


i' 


ta 


iriBiiirll 


\\    11 


Wl    i 


174 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


ballads  ;  and  all  this  is  in  commemoration  of  the  day 
when  the  Court  of  Rome  separated  England  from  its 
communion.^  To-morrow,"  he  continued,  "our  peo- 
ple who  are  on  shore  will  perform  this  ceremony  at 
the  fort." 

After  a  while,  he  caused  his  pennon  and  flag  to  be 
hoisted.  The  sailors  manned  the  yard-arms,  the  drum 
was  beaten,  they  fired  the  cannon,  and  all  shouted, 
five  times,  "  Long  live  the  King !  "  This  having  been 
done,  he  called  one  of  the  sailors,  who,  to  the  great 
delight  of  those  who  understood  his  language,  chanted 
a  very  long  ballad,  which  I  judged  to  be  the  recital  of 
ail  this  unworthy  story.  You  see  in  this,  my  Rever- 
end Father,  an  instance  which  fully  confirm.s  what  all 
the  world  knew  before,  that  heresy  always  pushes  to 
an  extreme  its  animosity  against  the  visible  Head  of 
the  Church. 

During  the  night  a  large  boat  came  to  us,  manned 
by  rowers.  The  captain,  who  was  always  on  his 
guard,  and  who  was  not  able  to  lay  aside  the  idea 
that  our  people  were  seeking  to  surprise  him,  caused 
them  immediately  to  clear  the  decks.  They  at  once 
fired  their  swivel-gun ;  but  the  boat,  having  made  its 

1  Either  Captain  Potter  or  Father  Fauque,  in  this  statement,  makes 
a  mistake.  On  November  5th,  in  England,  they  celebrate  their  es- 
cape from  the  "Gunpowder  Plot."  There  is  in  the  Prayer-book  "A 
Form  of  Prayer  with  Thanksgiving,"  which  is  to  be  used  on  that  day 
"for  the  happy  deliverance  of  King  James  I.  and  the  Three  Estates 
of  England  from  the  most  traitorous  and  blood-intended  massacre  by 
Gunpowder  ;  and  also  for  the  happy  arrival  of  His  Majesty  King 
William  on  this  day,  for  the  deliverance  of  our  church  and  nation." 
The  common  people  call  it  "Guy  Fawkes'  Day." —  Trans. 


THE  RHODE  ISLAND  PRIVATEER. 


175 


signal,  all  was  again  quiet.  It  was  the  lieutenant, 
who  had  been  to  plunder  the  dwellings  along  the 
river.  He  reported  that  he  had  only  visited  two  or 
three  plantations,  which  he  had  found  entirely  de- 
serted. He  added  that  he  was  going  to  ascend  the 
river  again,  to  consign  every  thing  to  the  flames.  In 
fact,  after  having  supped  and  had  sufficient  consulta- 
tion with  his  principal,  he  departed  again.  I  askee 
permission  to  go  with  him  as  far  as  the  fort  to  look 
for  ray  papers,  but  it  was  refused  me.  However,  to 
soften  a  little  the  pain  which  this  denial  gave  me, 
Captain  Potter  promised  that  he  himself  would  go 
thither  with  me.  I  therefore  summoned  up  my  pa- 
tience, and  endeavored  by  a  little  sleep  to  repair  the 
loss  of  the  preceding  night  ;  but  it  was  useless.  The 
noise,  the  confusion,  and  the  bad  smells  did  not  allow 
me  to  close  my  eyes. 

On  Sunday  morning,  I  waited  to  see  some  religious 
service,  for  up  to  this  time  I  had  not  recognized  any 
mark  of  Christianity  ;  but  every  thing  went  on  as 
usual,  so  that  I  could  not  refrain  from  showing  my 
surprise.  The  captain  told  me  "  that  in  their  sect 
each  one  worshipped  God  in  his  own  way  ;  that  they 
had  among  them,  as  elsewhere,  the  good  and  the  bad  ; 
and  that  '  he  who  acted  right  would  be  approved.' " 
At  the  same  time  he  took  out  of  his  chest  a  book  of 
devotion  ;  and  I  noticed  that,  during  this  day  and  the 
following  Sunday,  he  occasionally  looked  at  it.  As  he 
always  seemed  to  me  to  be  very  reasonable,  I  took 
pains,  from  time  to  time,  to  introduce  into  my  conver- 
sation some  word  of  controversy  or  of  morality,  which 


ii.     l.i 


Ill 


inlil'   ' 


1  I 


176 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


he  received  very  well,  having  explained  to  him  by  the 
interpreters  what  he  did  not  himself  understand.  He 
even  told  me  one  day  "  that  he  did  not  wish  longer  to 
pursue  the  business  of  privateering  ;  that  God  might 
to-day  give  him  property,  which,  perhaps,  might  shortly 
be  taken  away  from  him  by  others  ;  that  he  was  well 
aware  he  should  take  nothing  away  with  him  in  dying  ; 
but,  nevertheless,  I  should  not  expect  to  find  more 
piety  in  a  French,  or  even  in  a  Spanish,  privateer 
than  I  saw  in  his  ship  ;  because  these  sorts  of  arma- 
ments were  scarcely  compatible  with  the  exercises  of 
devotion."  I  confess  to  you,  my  Reverend  Father, 
that  I  was  astonished  to  hear  such  sentiments  in  the 
mouth  of  an  American  Huguenot  ;  for  every  one 
knows  how  entirely  this  part  of  the  world  is  removed 
from  the  kingdom  of  God  and  every  thing  which  can 
lead  to  it.  I  have  often  exhorted  him  to  pray  the 
Lord  for  light,  and  that  He  would  not  allow  him  to 
die  in  the  darkness  of  heresy,  in  which  he  had  the 
misfortune  to  be  born  and  brought  up. 

As  the  boats  were  constantly  going  and  coming, 
from  the  shore  to  the  vessel  and  from  the  vessel  to 
the  shore,  transporting  the  pillage,  one  came  that  very 
evening,  bringing  a  French  soldier  and  five  Indians. 
He  was  one  of  our  soldiers,  who,  fifteen  days  before, 
had  been  to  seek  the  Indians  to  engage  them  10  work, 
and,  not  knowing  that  the  English  were  masters  of 
the  fort,  had  run  into  their  hands.  I  represented  to 
Captain  Potter  that,  as  the  Indians  were  free  among 
us,  he  neither  ought  Lo  nor  could  take  them  prisoners, 
particularly  as  they  had  not  been  found  with  arms  in 


THE  RHODE  ISLAND  PRIVATEER. 


177 


their  hands.  But  he  answered  me  "  that  this  kind  of 
people  were  used  for  slaves  in  Rodelan,  and  that  he 
should  take  them  thither  in  spite  of  all  that  I  could 
say."  He  has,  in  fact,  carried  them  away,  with  the 
Aroijas  whom  he  had  first  captured  in  the  Bay  of  Oya- 
poc.  Perhaps  he  has  a  fancy  to  leturn  to  this  country, 
and  intends  to  use  these  miserable  beings  in  making 
his  descent  on  the  coast,  or  perhaps  he  will  release 
them  at  Surinam. 

I  had,  nevertheless,  on  Monday  morning,  reminded 
him  of  the  promise  he  had  made  that  he  would  take 
me  on  shore  ;  but  he  was  not  then  able  to  do  any 
thing,  and  I  was  obliged  to  content  myself  with  fair 
words,  so  that  I  despaired  of  ever  again  visiting  my 
old  home.  On  Tuesday,  however,  he  came  to  me  to 
say  that,  if  I  wished  to  go  to  the  fort,  he  would  take 
me.  I  most  willingly  accepted  the  offer  ;  but,  before 
I  embarked,  he  strongly  recommended  to  me  not  to 
attempt  flight,  because,  he  assured  me,  I  would  be 
stopped  by  the  discharge  of  a  gun.  I  reassured  him 
on  that  point,  and  we  set  out. 

The  commander  of  the  boat  was  the  second  Heuten- 
int,  the  same  who  had  threatened  to  cut  my  tongue  ; 
and,  as  I  complained  to  the  captain,  who  had,  without 
doubt,  spoken  to  him  about  it,  he  made  the  strongest 
apologies  on  that  point  to  me  while  on  the  way,  aiid 
showed  me  a  thousand  acts  of  politeness. 

Before  I  was  scarcely  aware  of  it,  we  arrived  at  our 
destination ;  and  immediately  I  saw  all  those  who 
were  guarding  the  fort  come  to  the  landing,  some 
with  guns  and  others  with  swords,    to  receive   me. 

8*  L 


f,»-' 


178 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


9 


^M 


i  'i 


Little  accustomed  to  good  faith,  perhaps,  they  were 
always  afraid  that  I  should  escape  from  them,  in  spite 
of  all  that  I  was  able  to  say  to  quiet  them  on  my 
account. 

After  we  had  taken  a  little  rest,  I  asked  to  go  to 
my  house,  and  they  conducted  me  thither  under  a 
strong  escort.  I  began  by  first  visiting  the  church, 
to  enable  me  to  see  for  the  last  time  what  was  its  con- 
dition. As  I  was  not  able  to  restrain  my  tears  and 
sighs  on  seeing  the  altars  overturned,  the  pictures 
torn,  the  sacred  stones  broken  in  pieces  and  scattered 
on  every  side,  the  two  principal  members  of  the  band 
said  to  me  "  that  they  were  very  sorry  for  all  this  dis- 
order ;  that  it  was  done  contrary  to  their  int'^nlrions 
by  the  sailors,  the  negroes,  and  the  Indians,  in  the 
excitement  ot  pillage  and  the  heat  of  drunkenness, 
and  that  they  made  their  apologies  to  me  for  if'  I 
assured  them  "  that  it  was  of  God  principally  ;  and, 
first  of  all,  they  should  ask  pardo^i  for  such  a  desecra- 
tion of  His  temple,  and  that  they  had  great  reason  to 
fear  lest  He  should  avenge  Himself,  and  punish  them 
as  they  deserved."  I  then  threw  myself  on  my  knees, 
and  made  a  special  confession  to  God,  to  the  Holy 
Virgin,  and  to  Saint  Joseph,  in  honor  of  whom  T  had 
set  up  these  altars  to  excite  the  devotion  of  my  parish- 
ioners ,  after  which  I  arose,  and  we  went  on  to  my 
house. 

I  had  five  or  six  persons  around  me,  who  roost 
strictly  watched  aU  my  steps  every  moment,  and, 
above  all,  the  direction  in  which  I  looked.  I  did  net 
then  understand  the  occasion  of  all  this  attention  on 


THE  RHODE  ISLAND  PRIVATEER. 


179 


their  part,  but  I  have  since  learned  it.  These  good 
people,  avaricious  to  the  last  extreme,  imagined  that  I 
had  money  concealed,  and  that,  when  I  showed  so 
much  anxiety  to  return  to  shore,  it  was  to  see  whether 
any  one  had  discovered  my  treasure.  We  entered  the 
house,  then,  together ;  and  it  was  the  occasion  of  sin- 
cere sorrow  to  me,  I  must  confess,  to  see  the  frightful 
disorder  in  which  it  was. 

It  is  now  nearly  seventeen  years  since  I  came  for 
the  first  time  to  Oyapoc,  and  began  to  collect  all  that 
was  necessary  for  the  foundation  of  these  Indian  mis- 
sions, foreseeing  that  this  section  of  country,  where 
the  savages  are  so  numerous,  would  furnish  a  great 
career  for  our  zeal,  and  that  the  parish  of  Oyapoc 
would  become,  as  it  were,  the  storehouse  of  all  the 
other  establishments.  I  had  not  ceased  ever  after  to 
be  always  making  better  provision,  through  the  chari- 
table cares  of  one  of  our  Fathers,  who  wished  to  be 
my  particular  correspondent  at  Cayenne.  God  has 
permitted  that  one  single  day  should  destroy  the  fruit 
of  so  much  labor  and  of  so  many  years,  that  His  holy 
name  might  be  praised.  What  gave  me  most  concern 
was,  to  know  that  the  three  missionaries  who  remained 
in  that  quarter  were  stripped  of  every  thing,  without 
rny  having  't  in  my  power  for  the  present  to  procure 
even  the  merest  necessaries,  notwithstai:ding  all  the 
liberality  and  the  good  intentions  of  our  Superiors. 

At  last,  a'ter  having  gone  rapidly  ^,hrough  all  the 
small  apartments,  which  were  used  as  lodgings  for 
our  Fathers  when  they  came  to  visit  me,  I  entered 
my  study.     I  found  all  my  books  and  papers  on  the 


if: 


■  'ill 


1 80 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


ii 


IB 

i 

11 

IT"' 

i 

W     ^Mi         Jiri:      j 

11 

1 

1 

ground,  scattered,  mingled  together,  and  half  torn  to 
pieces.  I  took  what  I  could  ;  but,  as  they  pressed  me 
to  finish,  I  was  obliged  to  return  to  the  fort. 

In  a  few  hours  afterwards,  those  arrived  who  had 
been  to  plunder  the  dwellings  ;  and,  after  being  a 
little  refreshed,  they  continued  their  route  to  the 
ship,  carrying  with  them  what  they  had  pillaged, 
which,  by  their  own  acknowledgment  and  to  their 
great  regret,  was  inconsiderable. 

The  next  day,  all  the  morning  was  passed  in  mak- 
ing up  packages,  in  destroying  the  furniture  which 
remained  in  the  different  houses,  and  in  tearing  off 
the  locks  and  the  hinges  of  the  doors,  particularly 
those  which  were  made  of  brass.  At  last,  about  mid- 
day, they  set  fire  to  the  houses  of  the  inhabitants, 
which  were  shortly  reduced  to  ashes,  having  been 
only  roofed  with  straw,  according  to  the  custom  of  the 
country.  As  I  saw  that  mine  would  certainly  share 
the  same  fate,  I  was  very  pressing  to  be  conducted 
thither,  that  I  might  recover  more  of  my  books  and 
papers  than  I  had  hitherto  been  able  to  secure.  The 
second  lieutenant,  who  was  then  in  command,  made  a 
parade  before  me  of  discharging  a  pistol,  which  he 
carried  in  his  belt,  and  then  he  immediately  loaded  it, 
taking  great  pains  that  I  should  see  it.  I  have  since 
learned  why  he  took  so  much  trouble  in  this  matter. 
Immediately  afterwards,  he  said  to  me  that,  if  I  wished 
to  go  to  my  house,  he  would  conduct  me. 

Having  reached  my  house,  I  went  again  to  look  for 
certain  papers  ;  and,  as  there  remained  with  me  only 
a  single  sailor,  who  spoke  French,  all  the  others  being 


THE  RHODE  ISLAND   PRIVATEER. 


l8l 


a  little  scattered,  he  said  to  me,  "  My  Father,  all  our 
people  are  at  a  distance  ;  save  yourself,  if  you  wish." 
I  was  well  aware  that  he  wished  me  to  attempt  it,  and 
I  therefore  replied  coldly  to  him  **  that  men  of  my 
profession  do  not  know  what  it  is  to  break  their  word." 
I  added  "  that,  if  I  had  wished  to  take  to  flight,  I  could 
long  ago  have  done  so,  as  there  had  been  many  favor- 
able opportunities  while  they  were  amusing  them- 
selves with  pillaging  or  drinking." 

At  length,  after  having  thoroughly  searched  every- 
where without  finding  any  thing  more,  I  informed 
them  that  I  had  finished,  and  that  we  would  go  when 
it  pleased  them.  Then  the  lieutenant  approached  me, 
with  a  grave  and  threatening  air,  and  told  me,  through 
the  interpreter,  "  that  I  must  show  the  place  where  I 
had  concealed  my  money,  or  I  would  find  myself  in 
trouble."  I  answered,  with  that  confidence  which 
truth  gives,  "  that  I  had  not  concealed  any  money ; 
that,  if  I  had  thought  to  put  any  thing  in  a  place  of 
safety,  I  should  have  begun  with  those  things  that  are 
used  at  the  altar."  "  Deny  the  fact  as  you  will,"  the 
interpreter  then  replied  to  me  by  order  of  the  officer, 
"  we  are  certain,  and  cannot  doubt  it,  that  you  have  a 
large  amount  of  money,  for  the  soldiers  who  are  our 
prisoners  on  board  have  told  us  so  ;  and  yet  we  have 
found  but  very  little  in  your  wardrobe.  You  must, 
therefore,  have  concealed  it  ;  and,  if  you  do  not  imme- 
diately give  it  up,  take  care  of  yourself.  You  know 
that  my  pistol  is  not  badly  loaded."  I  fell  on  my 
knees,  saying  "that  they  were  masters  of  my  life, 
since  I  was  in  their  hands  and  at  their  will ;  that  if, 


l82 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


however,  they  wished  to  go  to  that  extreme,  I  begged 
them  to  allow  me  a  moment  for  prayer  ;  that,  for  the 
rest,  I  had  no  other  money  than  what  they  had  already 
taken."  At  last,  after  having  left  me  for  some  time 
in  that  position,  and  looking  at  each  other,  they  told 
me  to  rise  and  follow  them.  They  took  me  under  the 
gallery  of  the  house,  which  was  built  over  a  little 
grove  of  cocoa-trees,  which  I  had  planted  like  an 
orchard,  and,  having  made  me  sit  down,  the  lieutenant 
also  took  a  chair,  and  then  putting  on  an  air  of  gayety, 
he  said,  "  that  I  had  no  occasion  for  fear,  as  they  did 
not  intend  to  do  me  any  injury ;  but  that  it  was  im- 
possible I  had  not  concealed  any  thing,  since  there 
was  sufficient  time,  as  I  had  seen  them  from  before 
my  door  when  they  came  to  take  the  fort."  I  replied 
to  him,  what  I  had  already  said  so  often,  "  that  we  had 
been  so  much  terrified  by  the  noise  they  made  during 
the  night,  with  their  shouts  and  cries,  and  the  inces- 
sant firing  they  kept  up,  that  at  first  we  thought  of 
nothing  but  escaping  death  by  a  speedy  flight ;  the 
more  so  as  we  imagined  that  they  had  scattered 
themselves  at  the  same  time  through  all  the  houses." 

"  But,  after  all,"  he  replied,  "  the  French  prisoners 
are  well  acquainted  with  your  means.  Why  should 
they  have  told  us  that  you  had  plenty  of  money,  if  it 
were  not  true  } " 

"  Do  you  not  see,"  said  I,  "  that  they  wished  to 
conciliate  you,  and  make  their  court  to  you  at  my 
expense  f' 

"  No,  no,"  he  continued  ;  "  it  is  because  you  do  not 
wish  to  give  up  your  money.     I  nevertheless  assure 


Y 


THE  RHODE  ISLAND  PRIVATEER. 


i83 


you,  and  I  give  you  my  word  of  honor,  that  you  shall 
have  your  liberty,  and  that  we  will  release  you  here 
without  burning  your  houses,  if  you  will,  after  all, 
show  your  treasure." 

"It  is  entirely  useless,"  I  answered  him,  wearied 
with  all  these  conversations,  "  that  you  follow  me  up 
with  these  earnest  appeals.  Again,  once  for  all,  I 
have  nothing  else  to  say  to  you  but  what  I  have  so 
often  repeated." 

He  then  spoke  to  the  sailor  who  acted  as  interpreter, 
and  who  had  kept  his  eyes  on  me  during  all  this  inter- 
view, to  see  whither  I  directed  my  looks.  He  then 
went  out  to  visit  my  cocoa-grove.  I  then  recalled  a 
little  interview  I  had  with  the  captain,  a  few  days 
before.  I  said  to  him  "  that,  if  the  sentinels  had  done 
their  duty,  :ind  given  us  notice  of  the  arrival  of  the 
enemy,  we  would  have  concealed  our  most  valuable 
effects." 

"  In  what  place,"  he  asked  me,  "  would  you  have 
hid  all  these  things  }  Would  you  have  hid  them  in 
the  ground .'' " 

"  No,"  I  replied  ;  "  we  would  have  been  contented 
with  carrying  them  into  the  woods,  and  covering 
them  with  branches." 

It  was,  then,  for  this,  that  these  cunning  pirates, 
who  weigh  and  put  together  all  our  words,  imagining 
that  I  did  not  have  sufficient  time  to  carry  very  far 
what  I  esteemed  most  precious,  were  induced,  as  the 
last  effort  of  their  cupidity  and  distrust,  to  make  a 
search  under  the  trees  in  my  garden.  But  it  was 
impossible  that  they  should  find  what  had  never  been 


tr 


/ 


1 84 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


placed  there  ;  so  the  sailor  soon  grew  tired  of  search- 
ing; and,  he  having  returned,  we  went  together  to  the 
fort,  —  they  without  any  booty,  and  I  with  some  few 
of  the  papers  I  had  collected. 

Then  for  some  time  they  consulted  together,  and 
about  three  o'clock  they  went  to  set  my  house  on  fire. 
I  prayed  them  at  least  to  spare  the  church,  and  this 
they  promised  me.  But,  notwithstanding,  they  burned 
it ;  and  when  I  complained,  they  told  me  that  the 
winds,  which  that  day  were  very  high  there,  had 
undoubtedly  carried  thither  some  sparks,  which  had 
set  it  on  fire.  With  this  answer  I  was  obliged  to  be 
contented,  leaving  to  God  the  time,  the  care,  and  the 
manner  of  avenging  the  insult  offered  to  His  house. 
For  myself,  seeing  the  flames  rising  up  to  the  clouds, 
and  having  my  heart  pained  with  the  most  lively  sor- 
row, I  began  to  recite  the  seventy-eighth  Psalm,  ''Dens, 
veneriint  gentes','  &c.  ("  O  God,  the  heathen  are  come 
into  thine  inheritance,"  &c.) 

At  last,  after  every  thing  was  carried  to  the  boats, 
we  ourselves  embarked.  It  was  a  little  after  five 
o'clock  ;  and  the  sailors,  who  were  to  follow  us  in 
two  small  boats,  finished  by  burning  all  the  buildings 
of  the  fort.  At  length,  having  rowed  out  a  little  into 
the  river,  and  allowing  themselves  to  clear  the  shore 
very  slowly  with  the  current,  they  shouted  many 
times,  '*  Hoiira^  which  is  their  "  Vive  le  roil'  and  their 
cry  of  joy.  They  had  not,  however,  any  great  occa- 
sion to  pride  themselves  on  their  expedition,  since, 
had  it  not  been  for  the  black  treason  which  Jelivered 
us  into  their  hands,  they  would  never  have  succeeded. 


7 


THE  RHODIC   ISLAND  PRIVATEER. 


1S5 


red 
ed. 


Neither  was  it  of  any  use ;  because,  thoufi^h  they  had 
inflicted  a  great  injury  on  us,  they  had  themselves 
derived  very  Httle  profit  from  it. 

I  had  expected  to  find  the  ship  where  I  left  it ;  but 
it  had  already  stood  off  in  such  a  way  that  we  did  not 
arrive  there  till  the  night  was  far  advanced  ;  so  that 
they  did  not  discharge  their  booty  until  the  next  day, 
the  morning  of  the  19th  of  the  month.  During  the 
whole  of  this  day  they  made  no  progress,  although 
they  used  their  oars,  as  their  sails  were  useless  for 
want  of  wind.  This  delay  disquieted  me  very  much, 
because  I  wished  as  soon  as  possible  to  know  my  fate. 
"  Would  they  leave  me  at  Cayenne  .-*  "  I  said  to  myself. 
"  Will  they  carry  me  to  Surinam  .-*  Will  they  take  me 
to  Barbadoes }  or  even  as  far  as  New  England  .-* " 
And,  as  I  was  occupying  myself  with  these  inquiries, 
lying  in  my  berth,  which  I  was  not  able  to  quit  on 
account  of  my  great  weakness  and  the  seasickness, 
which  aflflicted  me  terribly,  some  one  came  to  tell  me 
that  they  had  sent  on  shore  three  of  our  soldiers,  with 
one  old  Indian,  captured  in  the  canoe  of  the  Aroiias, 
of  which  I  have  already  spoken.  I  was  a  little  sur- 
prised ;  and,  on  asking  the  captain  the  reason,  he  told 
me  that  it  made  so  many  useless  mouths  the  less. 

"  And  why,"  said  I,  "  do  you  not  do  the  same 
towards  all  the  other  prisoners  } " 

"  It  is,"  said  he,  "  because  I  am  waiting  for  a  good 
ransom  for  the  rest  of  you." 

He  would  have  given  a  much  truer  excuse  if  he  had 
said,  that,  wishing  to  make  a  descent  on  Cayenne,  he 
was  afraid  that  some  of  his  peopl2  might  be  captured, 


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1 86 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


in  which  case  he  wished  to  have  some  with  whom  to 
make  an  exchange,  which  did  in  reality  happen,  as  we 
shall  see  in  the  end. 

The  wind  having  freshened  a  little  in  the  evening, 
we  continued  our  voyage  through  the  whole  night, 
and  before  noon  aoproached  Cayenne,  off  a  high  rock 
named  Connestable,  and  which  is  five  or  six  leagues 
distant.  They  had  already  learned  of  the  disaster 
which  had  befallen  Oyapoc,  —  perhaps  by  a  note 
which  a  young  Indian  had  written,  or  perhaps  through 
some  inhabitants  of  Aproakac,  who  had  come  to  take 
lefuge  at  Cayenne.  But  they  were  ignorant  of  all 
the  circumstances  ;  and  the  public,  as  it  commonly 
happens  in  such  cases,  set  in  circulation  many  reports, 
each  one  more  false  than  the  last.  Some  said  that 
every  person  at  Oyapoc  had  been  massacred,  and  that 
I,  in  particular,  had  suffered  a  thousand  cruelties. 
Others  published  that  there  were  many  ships  there, 
and  that  Cayenne  would  be  obliged  to  submit  to  the 
same  fate.  What  seemed  to  give  a  little  sanction  to 
the  last  news  was,  that  the  ship  which  had  captured 
us  carried  with  it  three  boats,  which,  with  the  long- 
boat, made  five  vessels.  All  having  sails  and  looming 
up,  at  a  distance  caused  them  to  make  a  formidable 
appearance  to  those  who  were  on  shore. 

For  myself,  —  in  the  persuasion  I  had  that  our 
Fathers,  whom  I  had  left  in  the  woods,  or  some  other 
of  the  French  who  had  fled,  would  not  fail  to  go  as 
soon  as  possible  to  Cayenne  to  give  them  certain 
intelligence  of  our  sad  lot,  or  at  least  to  forward  ample 
information   with   regard   to   it, —  I    imagined   they 


THE  RHODE  ISLAND  PRIVATEER. 


iS"* 


)ng- 
ling 
lable 


our 
^ther 
ro  as 
jrtain 
jmple 

ithey 


would  send  some  one  to  rescue  me.  .But  I  was  de- 
ceiving myseli,  and  they  were  entirely  ignorant  of 
every  thing  that  had  happened  to  me.  So  Friday 
passed,  and  the  next  day  we  cast  anchor  very  near  the 
Enfant  Perdu.  This  is  a  rock,  distant  from  the  land 
six  thousand  and  thirteen  toises}  as  it  has  been  ex- 
actly measured  by  M.  de  la  Condamine,  member  of 
the  Royal  Academy  of  Sciences,  on  his  return  from 
Peru. 

Towards  nine  o'clock  in  the  morning,  after  a  great 
stir  in  the  ship,  I  saw  two  large  boats  set  out,  which 
went  to  a  little  river  called  Macouria,  especially  to 
plunder  the  residence  of  a  certain  lady ;  in  revenge, 
they  said,  for  some  grievances  which  had  been  pre- 
viously suffered  by  the  English,  who  had  gone  there 
to  purchase  syrups.  For,  my  Reverend  Father,  you 
muh.t  know  that  in  time  of  peace  that  nation  trades 
to  this  place,  principally  to  furnish  horses  for  the 
sugar  plantations.  As  I  saw  but  thirteen  men  in 
each  boat,  including  two  Frenchmen,  who  were  to 
serve  as  guides,  I  began  from  that  moment  to  enter- 
tain some  hopes  of  my  liberty ;  because  I  fully  be- 
lieved, as  the  weather  was  very  clear,  they  would  see 
this  manoeuvre  from  the  land,  and  not  fail  to  fall  upon 
them.  I  was  thus  indulging  in  these  pleasant  thoughts 
when  they  came  to  tell  me  that  the  boats  were  about 
to  go  first  to  Couron,  which  is  about  four  leagues  dis- 
tant from  Macouria,  to  capture  there,  if  possible. 
Father  Lombard,  the  missionary,  who  had  labored 
with  so  much  success  and  for  so  long  a  time  in  Guy- 

1  A  toise  is  two  yards.  —  Trans. 


1 88 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


ane,  in  the  conversion  of  the  Indians.  Their  object 
was,  that  they  inight  exact  a  ransom  for  him  in  con- 
formity with  his  age  and  merits. 

I  leave  you  to  imagine  how  like  the  stroke  of  a 
thunderbolt  news  of  this  kind  came  upon  me,  for  I  was 
well  assured  that,  if  this  worthy  missionary  should  be 
brought  on  board  our  ship,  he  would  entirely  sink 
under  the  fatigue.  But  Providence,  which  was  not 
willing  to  afflict  our  missions  to  this  extent,  defeated 
their  plan.  They  ran  aground  on  the  way,  and  were 
obliged  to  hold  to  their  first  design,  which  was  to 
ravage  Macouria  alone.  They,  in  fact,  arrived  there 
on  Sunday  morning,  and  spent  that  day  and  the  fol- 
lowing night  in  pillaging  and  destroying  the  dwelling 
which  was  the  object  of  their  hate.  On  Monday 
morning,  after  having  set  fire  to  the  buildings,  they 
returned  on  board,  without  having  received  the  least 
opposition  from  any  one.  The  negroes  were  so  thor- 
oughly terrified  that  they  did  not  dare  to  show  them- 
selves, and  the  French  who  had  been  disnatched  from 
Cayenne  on  Sunday  morning  had  not  yet  been  able  to 
reach  there. 

During  this  expedition,  those  who  had  remained 
with  me  in  the  ship  reasoned  each  one  in  accordance 
with  his  desires  or  his  fears.  Some  prophesied  a  for- 
tunate result  to  this  enterprise,  and  others  wished  for 
it.  At  length,  as  each  one  was  thus  indulging  in  his 
own  peculiar  views,  I  saw  again  a  great  movement  on 
board  of  our  ship,  towards  three  o'clock  in  the  after- 
noon. It  was  caused  by  the  departure  of  the  boatswain, 
an  energetic  man,  bold  and  determined,  who,  in  com- 


TH-E  RHODE  ISLAND  PRIVATEER. 


189 


mand  of  nine  men  only,  went  in  the  long-boat  to  at- 
tempt a  descent  on  the  coast  very  near  Cayenne, 
using  as  his  guide  a  negro,  who  knew  the  coast,  be- 
cause he  was  a  native  of  it.  Perhaps  also  Captain 
Potter  wished  to  make  a  diversion,  and  in  that  way 
prevent  their  sending  a  force  from  Cayenne  against 
those  of  his  people  who  had  gone  to  Macouria. 

However  that  might  be,  when  I  first  learned  the 
departure  of  the  long-boat  I  could  not  doubt  but  that 
the  Lord  wished  to  relieve  me  from  my  captivity,  per- 
su^ided  as  I  was  that,  if  the  first:  party  was  not  at- 
tacked, the  second  certainly  would  be.  And  what  I 
anticipated  in  reality  took  place.  The  ten  English- 
men, after  having  pillaged  one  of  our  dwellings,  were 
encountered  by  a  company  of  French,  and  entirely  de- 
feated. Three  were  killed  on  the  spot,  and  seven 
were  made  prisoners.  On  our  side  there  was  but 
one  soldier  wounded,  in  the  shoulder,  by  a  musket- 
shot.  As  to  my  poor  negro,  it  is  surprising  that  in 
this  fight  he  was  not  even  wounded.  The  Lord,  with- 
out doubt,  wished  to  recompense  him  for  his  fidelity 
to  his  master.  It  was  from  him  that  they  at  length 
learned  at  Cayenne  the  particulars  of  the  capture  of 
Oyapoc,  and  every  thing  that  related  to  me  personally. 

We  who  were  on  board  were  exceedingly  anxious  to 
learn  the  result  of  all  these  expeditions ;  but  nothing 
came  either  from  the  shore  or  from  Macouria.  At 
last,  when  the  sun  began  to  appear,  and  it  became 
sufficiently  light  for  us  to  see  at  a  distance,  there  was 
a  constant  stream  of  sailors  going  up  to  the  round-top 
and  coming  down,  who  always  reported  that  they  could 


[i; 


! 


lii 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


*^  •„»   o'clock,  Captain   Potter 

see  nothing.  ^"^/^"^Tt  hetad  seen  three  boats 
came  himself  to  tell  "^  *f/^„„e  in  the  direction  of 
which,  leaving  Cayenne  had  g  ^^  ^^  p,    le. 

Macouria,  and  no  doubt  were  1    P^^^^^^_  ,.  ^.ey 

To  tranquiUixe  h.m  a  W^te;  „^,,  ^ho,  after  hav- 

might  be  the  boats  of  the  nft  ^^^^^ ,, 

i„g%eard  Mass  were  rWrn-g       ^^^  ^^^^  ^^  ;, 

I  have  seen  tnem  v 

tance."  „  ^      ^..^d  "  will  P«haps  have  left 

"Your  people,"  I  sugge^t^l-  ,  ^^^^  ,^^, 

the  river  before  the  others 

there  can  be  no  *«_  „e,"  he  said.    "  My  people 
..  AH  this  does  Mt  worry  m.  j^^^^^es  of 

,,e  well  armed  and  ful  of  cou,.ge.^^^^^^^,. 

-^BTlSr^ournk  Zf   your  long-boat.      I 

^'tf  tSk  it  is  captured;  he  sai<l.  ^^  ^^^ 

..  Excuse  me,"  sard  I  to  h.m,  .      ^^^  ^sk  of 

a  descent  with  so  sma  ,„ 

ine  that  Cayenne  is  an  Oyap  ^    .^^^„  ^^  ^^^^ered; 
„  That  was  far  £«•"  '^e'^S  J  i^e  energy  of 

..hut  it  is  the  too  ef  ^t  ca'se-i  it.     So  much  the 
the  boatswain  which  '^^^  f        -u    i  am,  however, 

--ri?-c^£r.rxhaveag^^^^^^^^^^^^ 

LThC^nd  he  -  v.y  -s^  tThad  advised 
without  doubt,_exceeded  my  or  ^^^^.^^  ^^^^  ^  .^ort 


him  not  to 


land,  but  only 


'! 


THE  RHODE  ISLAND  PRIVATEER. 


191 


distance  as  to  the  most  commodious  place  to  disem- 
bark." 

After  we  had  thus  conferred  together  for  a  short 
time,  he  caused  them  to  raise  the  anchor,  and  ap- 
proached as  near  as  possible  to  land  and  to  Macouria. 
His  object  was  as  much  to  cut  off  the  way  for  our 
boats,  as  to  cover  his  people  and  shorten  the  return 
for  them. 

Nevertheless,  all  Sunday  passed  in  great  anxiety. 
Our  enemies  were  aware  of  the  fact  that  there  were 
three  ships  in  the  harbor,  because  the  boats  going  to 
Macouria  had  approached  sufficiently  near  the  port  to 
discover  them,  and  they  had  made  the  signal  agreed 
upon  with  Captain  Potter.  But  some  had  fears  lest 
these  vessels  might  come  out  and  attack  the  ship 
during  the  night.  So,  about  seven  o'clock  in  the 
evening,  they  placed  two  swivel-guns  in  the  windows, 
besides  the  twelve  which  were  on  deck  along  the  sides 
of  the  ship.  But  the  cr.ptain  was  very  composed.  He 
told  me  "  that,  so  far  from  fearing  that  they  would 
come  and  attack  him,  he,  on  the  contrary,  desired  it ; 
hoping  thus  to  gain  possession  of  those  who  should 
dare  to  approach  him."  He  was  thoroughly  armed  as 
a  privateer :  sabres,  pistols,  guns,  lances,  grenades, 
balls  filled  with  bitumen  and  sulphur,  grape-shot, — 
nothing  was  wanting. 

I  believe  that  no  one  slept  that  night.  However, 
nothing  appeared,  either  from  Macouria  or  Cayenne, 
which  was  the  cause  of  great  uneasiness  to  us  all.  At 
length,  at  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning,  the  captain 
came  to  tell  me  that  he  had  seen  a  great  deal  of  smoke 


192 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


t'l 


on  the  shore  at  Macouria,  and  that  his  people  had 
without  doubt  set  fire  to  the  buildings  of  Madame 
Gislet.  (This  is  the  name  of  the  lady  to  whose 
residence  the  English  had  particularly  directed  their 
attention.)  *'  I  am  very  sorry,"  he  added,  "  for  I  had 
expressly  forbidden  them  to  burn  any  thing."  A  little 
while  after,  they  saw  from  the  height  of  the  round- 
top  five  canoes  or  boats,  some  of  which  seemed  to  be 
pursuing  each  other.  They  were  our  French  people, 
who  were  giving  chase  to  the  English.  Captain  Pot- 
ter, an  able  man  in  his  profession,  at  once  perceived 
this,  and  took  measures  accordingly ;  for  he  raised  his 
anchor,  and  made  again  a  movement  to  approach 
them.  He  called  all  his  people  to  arms,  having  at  the 
same  time  obliged  all  the  prisoners,  whether  French 
or  English,  to  descend  into  the  hold.  I  wished  my- 
self to  go  there  also ;  but  he  told  me  I  could  remain  in 
my  cabin,  and  he  would  notify  me  when  it  was  time. 

In  the  midst  of  th's  excitement,  one  of  the  boats 
which  had  come  from  Macouria  drew  nigh,  as  by  dint 
of  rowing ;  and  to  assure  themselves  that  they  were 
English,  those  in  the  vessel  raised  their  pennant  and 
flag  and  fired  a  gun,  to  which  the  boats  having  re- 
sponded by  the  discharge  of  a  musket,  the  signal  on 
which  they  had  agreed,  tranquillity  succeeded  this 
first  movement  of  fear.  But  there  remained  as  yet 
one  boat  behind,  which  was  coming  very  slowly  with 
thtpagaye  (a  kind  of  scull,  or  oar,  which  the  Indians 
use  to  row  their  canoes),  and  they  feared  that  it  would 
be  captured  by  our  boats.  No  sooner,  therefore,  had  the 
officer  who  commanded  the  first  discharged  in  haste 


THE  RHODE  ISLAND  PRIVATEER. 


193 


lad 
,me 
ose 
neir 
had 
ittle 
Lind- 
0  be 
ople, 
Pot- 
eived 

;d  his 

roach 

at  the 

retich 

d  my- 

lain  in 

time, 
boats 
.y  dint 
were 

[nt  and 

ling  re- 
nal on 
;d  this 
as  yet 
y  with 
llndians 
t  would 
had  the 
n  haste 


the  little  they  had  brought  with  them,  than  he  hurried 
back  to  convoy  it.  After  having  conducted  it  to  its 
destination,  and  all  the  little  booty  they  had  taken 
having  been  embarked  in  the  ship,  each  one  thought 
of  refreshing  himself  to  the  utmost  for  the  fatigues  of 
this  marauding.  Punch,  lemonade,  wine,  brandy, 
sugar, —  nothing  was  spared.  Thus  passed  the  rest 
of  the  day  and  the  night  of  Sunday  to  Monday. 

Among  all  these  successes, —  which,  however  in- 
considerable they  really  might  be,  were  yet  occasions 
of  triumph  for  them, —  there  remained  one  great  source 
of  chagrin,  which  was  the  capture  of  the  long-boat 
and  of  the  ten  men  who  had  landed  in  it.  It  became 
necessary,  therefore,  to  think  seriously  of  some  means 
of  rescumg  them.  For  this  reason,  on  Monday  morn- 
ing, after  havi*".g  consulted  among  themselves  and 
held  council  after  council,  they  came  to  find  me,  to 
say  that,  their  ship  dragging  considerably,  perhaps  on 
account  of  the  currents,  which  are  very  strong  in 
these  latitudes,  or  perhaps  because  they  had  only 
one  small  anchor  remaining,  they  could  not  longer 
hold  their  anchorage,  and  they  thought,  therefore,  of 
going  to  Surinam,  a  Dutch  colon3^  twenty-four  leagues 
or  thereabouts  from  Cayenne ;  but,  however,  they 
very  much  wished  to  receive  first  some  news  of 
their  long-boat  and  the  people  who  had  landed  on 
Saturday. 

I  told  them,  in  reply,  "  that  this  was  very  easy  ;  that 

it  was  only  necessary  to  fit  out  one  of  the  boats  which 

they  had  taken  from  us,  and  to  send  it  to  Cayenne 

with  the  proposal  for  an  exchange  of  prisoners." 
9  ■  M 


194 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


"  But  would  they  be  willing  to  receive  us  ? "  they 
asked  me  ;  "  would  they  not  inflict  on  us  some  in- 
jury ?     Would  they  permit  us  to  return  ?  " 

It  was  easy  for  me  to  remove  doubts  which  had  so 
little  foundation,  by  telling  them,  as  is  fhe  case,  "  that 
the  law  of  nations  is  the  same  in  all  countries  ;  that 
the  French  did  not  pride  themselves  less  than  the 
English  in  observing  it ;  that  nothing  was  so  common 
among  civilized  people  as  to  see  the  generals  mutually 
sending  heralds-at-arms,  trumpeters,  or  drummers,  to 
carry  their  terms  of  agreement ;  and  that,  therefore, 
they  need  have  no  feat  for  those  of  their  crew  whom 
they  might  send  to  land." 

After  renewed  consultations,  which  they  held 
among  themselves,  they  began  to  make  their  pro- 
posals, some  of  which  I  found  to  be  entirely  unreason- 
able. For  example,  they  wished  to  have  returned  to 
them  their  boat  with  all  the  arms,  and  to  have  all  the 
prisoners  released,  whatever  might  be  their  number, 
in  exchange  for  only  four  Frenchmen,  which  was  our 
number. 

I  answered  him,  "  that  I  did  not  think  they  would 
accede  to  this  article  of  war  ;  that,  as  far  as  it  related 
to  men,  the  usage  is  to  change  them  head  for  head." 

"  But,  you  alone,  do  you  not  value  yourself  as  much 
as  thirty  sailors  ? "  said  one  of  the  crowd  to  me. 

''  No,  certainly,"  I  answered  ;  "  a  man  of  my  profes- 
sion, in  time  of  war,  should  not  count  for  any  thing." 

"  All  this  is  very  well  for  wit,"  said  the  captain  ; 
"  but,  since  you  take  it  in  that  way,  I  must  go  and 
make  sail.     I  am  able  very  well   to  bear  the  loss  of 


THE  RHODE  ISLAND  PRIVATEER. 


•95 


ten  men  ;  it  leaves  me  a  large  enough  crew  to  con- 
tinue my  voyage." 

Immediately  he  went  out  of  the  cabin  to  give  his 
orders,  and  they  began  working  the  ship,  &c.  But, 
through  all  this  manoeuvring,  I  saw  very  well  that  it 
was  only  a  feint  ua  their  part  to  intimidate  me  and 
induce  me  to  offer  them  two  thousand  piastres,  which 
they  had  already  demanded  for  my  ransom. 

Nevertheless,  as  I  had  a  great  desire  to  free  myself 
from  their  hands,  although  I  did  not  let  it  appear 
outwardly,  I  took  occasion  to  call  Captain  Potter  and 
say  to  him,  "  that  he  need  not  be  influenced  by  my 
views  ;  that  he  could  at  any  time  send  a  boat  to  Cay- 
enne to  make  'ihe  proposals  which  he  judged  proper, 
leaving  it  to  Monsieur  the  Commandant  to  accept  or 
reject  them."  He  followed  this  suggestion,  and 
begged  me  myself  to  dictate  the  letter  which  he 
wished  written  ;  and  this  I  did,  as  his  secretary,  fol- 
lowing exactly  what  he  caused  me  to  say. 

I  also,  on  my  own  account,  wrote  a  few  words  to 
Monsieur  d'Orvilliers  and  Father  de  Villeconte  (our 
Superior-General),  praying  the  first  to  stipulate  in  the 
articles  of  negotiation,  if  he  had  an  opportunity,  that 
they  should  return  to  me  every  thing  in  their  posses- 
sion belonging  to  my  church  ;  offering  myself  to  pay 
as  much  silver  in  weight  as  would  equal  that  of  the 
silver  vessels,  and  a  certain  sum  on  which  we  would 
agree  for  the  furniture,  ornaments,  and  linen.  At  the 
same  time,  I  begged  our  Father,  if  this  negotiation 
succeeded,  to  send  me  the  silver  and  the  necessary 
balance  for  the  account,  by  the  return  of  the  boat,  to 


196 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


» 


the  place  where  the  exchange  of  prisoners  was  to  be 
made,  —  that  is  to  say,  out  at  sea,  half-way  between 
the  ship  and  the  land. 

All  these  letters  being  prepared,  the  boat  was  dis- 
patched, and  they  sent  in  it,  as  th.:  )earer  of  these 
letters,  a  sergeant  who  had  been  made  prisoner  at 
Oyapoc.  He  was  ordered  to  use  the  utmost  dili- 
gence ;  and,  as  he  was  an  energetic  man,  we  should 
have  had  a  prompt  reply,  but  the  wind  and  the  cur- 
rent were  so  contrary  that  they  could  not  make  the 
port  of  Cayenne.  We  were  all  exceedingly  disap- 
pointed :  the  En.^lish,  because  they  began  to  be  in 
want  of  water  and  their  ship  drifted  again  considera- 
bly, having  only,  as  I  have  said,  one  small  anchor, 
which  they  were  obliged  to  manage  with  a  grappling- 
iron  ;  and  we  Frenchmen,  because  we  were  very 
anxious  to  regain  our  liberty.  It  was  necessary,  how- 
ever, to  be  patient  and  to  resign  ourselves  to  the  will 
of  God  until  He  should  cause  some  new  way  to  be 
opened. 

At  last,  on  Wednesday  morning,  having  determined 
to  ask  the  captain  what  course  he  had  determined  to 
pursue,  I  was  agreeably  surprised  by  hearing  him  say 
"  that  if  I  wished  myself  to  go  to  Cayenne  I  was  my 
own  master,  with  the  condition  that  I  should  cause  to 
be  sent  back  all  the  English  who  were  prisoners 
there." 

"  That  does  not  depend  upon  me,"  I  said  to  him  ; 
"  but  I  will  promise  you  to  make  every  effort  with 
Monsieur  the  Commandant  to  obtain  it." 

After  some  slight  objections,  which   I  easily  re- 


kl- 


■L\  1 


THE  RHODE   ISLAND   PRIVATEER. 


197 


to 
ters 


re- 


moved, we  wrote  a  new  letter  to  Monsieur  d'Orvilliers, 
of  which  I  was  to  be  the  bearer,  and,  every  thing  being 
ready,  we  embarked  —  four  French  and  five  English  — 
to  go  to  Cayenne.  In  taking  leave  of  the  captain,  I 
said  to  him,  "  that  if  the  war  continued,  and  he  or  any 
others  of  his  nation  should  come  to  Cayenne,  I  could 
not  again  be  made  prisoner."  He  answered  me, 
"  that  he  knew  that  already ;  the  custom  bemg  not 
twice  to  make  prisoner  of  the  same  person  in  the 
course  of  the  same  war,  at  least,  unless  he  should  be 
taken  with  arms  in  his  hands." 

I  then  th;  nked  him  for  his  honorable  treatment  of 
myself,  and,  grasping  his  hand,  I  said  to  him  :  "  Mon- 
sieur, two  things  give  me  pain  at  this  parting.  It  is 
not  exactly  the  pillage  you  have  made  at  Oyapoc,  be- 
cause the  French  will  perhaps  return  you  the  same 
with  interest ;  but  it  is,  in  the  first  place,  because  we 
have  not  both  of  us  the  same  faith  ;  and  in  the  second 
plare,  because  your  people  have  not  been  willing  to 
return  to  me  the  furniture  of  my  church  on  the  con- 
ditions I  proposed,  reasonable  as  they  are,  for  it 
causes  me  to  fear  lest  the  profanation  of  what  belongs 
to  the  temple  of  the  Lord  may  draw  down  His  anger 
upon  you.  I  would  advise  you,"  I  added,  while  em- 
bracing him,  "to  pray  God  each  day  to  enlighten  you 
as  to  the  true  way  to  heaven  ;  for  as  there  is  but  one 
God,  so  there  can  be  but  one  true  faith."  After 
which  I  descended  into  the  boat  which  was  to  carry 
us ;  and  immediately  I  saw  all  the  crew  come  up  on 
deck,  the  flag  and  pennant  were  hoisted,  the  gun 
was   fired,   and   we   were   many  times   saluted   with 


ill 


t,       i 


I       -  iiii     at 


(        i 


II  '     ; 

L 

liU 

198 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


*^Hoti7'as"  to  which  we  replied  as  often  with  " Vive 
le  voir 

Scarcely  had  we  gone  a  quarter  of  a  league  on  our 
way  when  the  ship  got  under  sail,  and,  toward  five 
o'clock,  we  lost  sight  of  her.  The  sea,  hov/ever,  was 
very  rough,  and  we  had  only  miserable  oars  to  row 
with,  when,  to  complete  our  difficulty,  our  rudder 
became  disabled.  A  hinge,  which  was  held  in  its 
place  by  a  screw  below,  came  out  and  fell  into  the  sea. 
We  then  resorted  to  the  only  expedient  in  our  power 
that  of  attaching  the  ring  of  the  rudder  to  the  stern- 
post  of  the  boat ;  but  the  iron  shortly  wore  off  the 
cord,  and  we  found  ourselves  in  great  danger.  What 
increased  our  fear  was,  that  the  night  became  very 
dark,  and  we  were  far  distant  from  land.  We  deter- 
mined, therefore,  to  anchor  until  next  morning,  when 
we  could  find  out  some  way  to  relieve  ourselves  from 
this  unfortunate  condition.  As  the  English  appre- 
ciated better  than  we  did  the  peril  in  which  we  were, 
one  of  them  proposed  to  me  to  hoist  the  lantern  high 
up  on  one  of  the  masts,  as  a  signal  for  succor.  But  I 
represented  to  him  its  uselessness,  because  we  were 
too  far  distant  to  be  seen,  and,  besides,  no  one  would 
dare  to  come  to  us  in  the  uncertainty  whether  we  were 
friends  or  enemies. 

Thus  we  passed  a  distressing  night,  between  life 
and  death  ;  and  what  was  very  remarkable  is,  that  we 
had  anchored,  without  knowing  it,  between  two  large 
rocks,  wh'ch  we  did  not  see  until  day  dawned.  After 
having  returned  thanks  to  God  for  having  so  visibly 
protected  us,  we  resolved  to  gain  the  river,  that,  if 


THE  RHODE  ISLAND  PRIVATEER. 


199 


possible,  we  might  repair  the  boat,  or  procure  another 
at  the  neighboring  dwellings,  or,  as  a  last  resource,  go 
by  land  to  Cayenne.  But  behold  !  a  new  accident. 
As  we  took  down  the  large  mast,  not  having  much 
strength  of  crew,  they  allowed  it  to  go  on  the  opposite 
side  from  that  on  which  it  should  naturally  fall.  We 
all  thought  it  would  have  crushed  M  de  la  Landerie, 
but  happily  he.  had  only  some  slight  bruises.  We 
took  at  that  time  —  the  sergeant  and  myself  —  one 
oar  to  steer,  the  others  each  taking  one  to  row  ;  and, 
aided  partly  by  the  wind  (for  we  carried  our  foremast 
to  enable  us  to  avoid  the  breakers),  and  partly  by  the 
tide,  which  began  to  rise,  but,  above  all,  conducted  by 
the  Divine  Providence  which  guided  us,  on  the  morn- 
ing of  the  26th  we  entered  the  little  river  Macouria, 
whicn  I  have  already  mentioned.  None  of  us  were 
acquainted  with  the  channel ;  so  that  the  English 
themselves  earnestly  avowed  that  it  was  God  who 
had  conducted  us,  safe  and  sound,  in  spite  of  the 
great  dangers. 

Our  first  object  was  to  obtain  some  means  of  get- 
ting to  Cayenne  ;  but  this  was  not  an  easy  matter.  In 
addition  to  the  fact  that  we  could  not  find  a  boat  or 
any  way  oi  repairing  our  own,  the  negroes,  who  were 
the  only  persons  left  at  the  dwellings,  were  so  fright- 
ened that  they  did  not  wish  to  recognize  us.  As  it 
had  already  become  known  that  I  was  a  prisoner, 
they  feared  lest  the  English  had  sent  me  ashore  as  a 
lure,  through  my  means  to  entrap  the  slaves.  Never- 
theless, after  many  protestations  and  prayers  and 
solicitations,  I  reassured  some,  who,  more  courageous 


I 


I 


'it 

i 

200 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


than  the  rest,  dared  to  approach  us  ;  and,  through  their 
means,  we  obtained  some  little  refreshment,  of  which 
we  certainly  stood  very  much  in  need.  For  myself,  as 
I  was  scarcely  able  to  take  any  nourishment,  and  for 
this  reason  was  very  weak,  I  was  hardly  able  to  sus- 
tain myself. 

As  soon  as  each  one  was  a  little  recruited,  I  consigned 
to  the  negroes  the  boat,  which  we  left  in  their  care 
with  all  the  rigging  and  sails,  and  we  set  out  on  our 
journey  to  Cayenne,  along  the  borders  of  the  ocean. 
We  did  not  wish  to  go  into  the  interior  of  the  coun- 
try, for  fear  of  affording  our  enemies  a  knowledge  of 
the  place,  which  hereafter  might  be  an  injury  to  us. 
The  night  which  followed  favored  my  design,  and  I 
can  say  with  truth  that  the  five  English  whom  I  took 
with  me  saw  nothing  which  could  be  of  any  service 
to  them,  if  at  any  future  day,  in  the  course  of  this 
war,  they  should  take  a  fancy  to  return  to  us. 

It  would  be  difficult,  not  to  say  impossible,  my 
Reverend  Father,  to  describe  to  you  what  we  suffered 
during  this  journey  of  only  three  or  four  leagues.  As 
the  tide  rose,  and  for  that  reason  we  were  obliged  to 
make  our  way  over  the  high  ground  of  the  shore, 
where  the  sand  is  very  shifting,  we  sunk  into  it ;  and 
most  of  us  had  the  greatest  difficulty  to  drag  our- 
selves along,  so  that  I  frequently  saw  the  greater  part 
of  our  party  obliged  to  stop  and  rest.  The  English, 
particularly,  being  little  accustomed  to  march,  found 
the  journey  very  long,  and  would  have  been  very  will- 
ing to  be  back  in  their  vessel.  But  it  was  their  fault 
that  they  found  themselves  in  such  difficulty.      In 


THE  RHODE  ISLAND  PRIVATEER. 


201 


sending  us  ashore,  they  themselves  knew  that  the 
boat  in  which  we  embarked  was  unseaworthy.  They 
should  have  given  me  notice  of  it  at  the  time,  and  I 
would  have  demanded  another  from  the  captain. 

At  last,  by  dint  of  encouraging  and  animating  them, 
we  reached  the  point  which  the  river  forms,  and  which 
fronts  on  the  roadstead.  It  was  about  midnight  when 
we  arrived  at  the  dwelling  of  Madame  de  Charanville, 
where  the  slaves,  knowing  the  good  heart  and  gen- 
erosit}'  of  their  mistress,  although  alone,  gave  us  the 
best  reception  they  were  able,  to  recompense  us  for 
the  privations  we  had  suffered.  I  had  taken  the  pre- 
caution to  send  before  U3  a  negro  of  our  party,  to  re- 
move their  fears  on  our  arrival ;  for  without  this,  we 
shouM  have  run  a  great  risk  of  not  being  received,  so 
great  was  the  fright  which  had  everywhere  seized  on 
these  poor  wretches.  So  good  a  reception  gave  great 
satisfaction  to  the  English,  who  themselves  feared 
being  killed  or  maltreated  by  the  negroes,  which 
would  certainly  have  happened  had  I  not  been  with 
them.  For  this  reason  they  never  left  me.  At  length, 
after  having  taken  a  little  rest,  as  soon  as  it  was  day 
we  embarked  in  a  boat  we  had  found,  and  continued 
our  route  to  Cayenne. 

No  sooner  had  they  seen  us  at  a  great  distance, 
than  they  well  knew  from  our  white  flag  that  we  were 
the  deputies  who  came  to  make  terms ;  and  they  im- 
mediately sent  down  a  detachment  to  the  port,  who 
received  us  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet  and  with  pre- 
sented arms,  as  is  the  custom  on  such  occasions.  All 
the  ramparts  which  fronted  the  roadstead,  and  the 
9* 


'  w: 


■m 


302 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


I  \ 


t  i 


rising  ground  on  which  the  fort  is  situated,  were 
entirely  covered  with  people.  Having  directed  the 
sergeant  to  remain  in  the  boat  with  all  his  company 
until  I  had  spoken  to  the  commandant,  I  myself 
landed.  The  Brother  Pittet  had  recognized  me  with 
his  glass,  at  a  long  distance,  and  hastened  himself  to 
give  me  his  hand. 

It  was  a  very  consoling  spectacle,  my  Reverend 
Father,  to  see  all  Cayenne  coming  to  meet  me.  In 
the  streets  throuofh  which  I  had  passed,  there  was  so 
great  a  crowd  of  people  that  I  had  difficulty  in  making 
my  way.  The  rich  as  well  as  the  poor,  even  all  the 
slaves,  pressed  around  to  give  me  proofs  of  the  pleas- 
ure which  my  restoration  to  freedom  afforded  them. 
Many  bathed  me  with  their  tears  when  embracing  me. 
I  do  not  blush  to  say  that  I  was  myself  overcome  in 
recognizing  such  great  demonstrations  of  friendship. 
A  large  crowd  followed  me  even  into  the  church,  to 
which  I  first  repaired  to  return  thanks  to  God  for  the 
great  blessings  He  had  bestowed  upon  me,  and  for 
which  I  pray  you,  my  Reverend  Father,  to  give 
thanks  also. 

Our  Fathers  and  our  Brothers  distinguished  them- 
selves on  this  occasion,  and  extended  their  charity,  in 
my  behalf,  as  far  as  it  was  possible  to  carry  it.  As 
all  my  clothes  were  in  a  pitiable  state,  they  eagerly 
brought  me  every  thing  which  was  necessary.  In  this 
way  I  realized  to  the  letter  the  truth  of  that  declara- 
tion of  our  Lord  :  "  Quiconque  quittera  son  ph-e,  sa 
m^re,  ses  frkres,  pour  V amour  de  mot,  recevra  le  centu- 
ple  en  ce  monde.''     (Whosoever  shall  leave  his  father, 


in 


LIS 

Ira- 

sa 

\iu- 


2//E  RHODE  ISLAND  PRIVATEER. 


203 


his  mother,  his  brethren,  for  my  sake,  shall  receive  an 
hundred-fold  in  this  world.) 

We  often  talked  together  over  the  evils  which  might 
again  happen  to  us,  and  I  was  always  very  much  edi- 
ted at  seeing  their  holy  emulation  ;  each  one  wishing 
to  sacrifice  himself  to  succor  the  wounded  in  case  of 
an  attack.  But  I  thought  that  having  already  had 
some  experience  in  this  matter,  and  not  being  able  to 
be  again  made  prisoner  during  the  continuance  of 
this  war,  I  should  have  the  preference,  and  begin  the 
service  in  discharging  the  duties  of  our  ministry.  We 
can,  however,  hope  that  neither  the  one  nor  the  other 
will  be  obliged  to  come  forward  in  this  way,  but  that 
the  victorious  arms  of  the  king  will  shortly  bring 
about  a  solid  and  lasting  peace.  As  soon  as  I  had 
made  my  report  and  forwarded  my  letters  to  Monsieur 
d'Orvilliers,  who  was  in  retirement  in  his  house  on 
account  of  the  death  of  Madame  his  wife,  he  gave 
orders  that  the  five  English  who  had  come  with  me 
should  be  conducted,  with  their  eyes  bandaged,  ac- 
cording to  custom  in  such  cases,  to  the  guard-house, 
where  they  were  to  be  confined  ;  after  which,  he  made 
the  necessary  arrangements  for  sending  them  back  to 
their  ship,  with  the  seven  other  prisoners  whom  I  have 
already  mentioned,  all  of  whom  he  was  very  willing 
to  free,  in  a  great  measure  through  consideration  to 
myself.  On  the  following  day,  the  28th,  they  departed 
during  the  night  in  their  long-boat,  with  all  the  tackle 
and  previsions  necessary.  We  have  reason  to  wish 
that  they  should  arrive  safe  in  port,  because  we  have 
written  by  them  to  the  Governor  of  Surinam  ;  and  I 


I 


204 


HISTORICAL  SCENES, 


myself  on  my  own  account  have  done  so,  to  endeavor, 
through  his  instrumentality,  to  recover  what  belonged 
to  my  church,  on  the  conditions  agreed  upon  with 
Captain  Potter  when  we  parted.  But  if  I  should  not 
succeed  in  recovering  these  things,  I  flatter  myself 
that  you,  my  Reverend  Father,  would  be  entirely 
willing  to  supply  this  deficiency  by  sending  me  a  com- 
plete church  service,  for  every  thing  has  been  lost. 

On  my  arrival  at  Cayenne,  I  had  found  there  the 
officer  who  was  at  Oyapoc  when  it  was  taken,  and 
who  since  then  has  returned  thither  with  the  chiex 
surgeon  and  a  party  of  soldiers.  Since  that  time, 
the  commandant  himself  has  gone  back  with  the  rest 
of  the  detachment,  to  await  the  orders  which  the 
Court  shall  give  with  regard  to  Oyapoc.  The  fort 
which  we  have  just  lost  was  built  in  1725,  under  the 
direction  of  M.  d'Orvilliers,  Governor  of  this  colony, 
and  had  thus  been  in  existence  but  nineteen  years. 
We  do  not  know  whether  the  Court  will  think  proper 
to  re-establish  it. 

It  was  a  great  consolation  to  me  to  learn  that  our 
two  missionaries,  the  Fathers  d'Autillac  and  d'Huber- 
lant,  have  returned  each  to  his  own  post,  after  having 
entirely  got  over  their  fatigues  before  they  went  back. 
They  had  again  much  to  suffer,  until  we  were  able  to 
furnish  them  with  assistance.  They  write  me  that 
the  Indians,  who  had  been  at  first  exceedingly  fright- 
ened, had  begun  to  be  reassured,  and  that  they  con- 
tinued to  render  all  the  services  in  their  power  to  the 
inhabitants  who  remained  in  that  quarter  awaiting 
the  new  order. 


THE  RHODE  ISLAND  PRIVATEER. 


205 


You  see,  my  Reverend  Father,  a  very  long  letter, 
and,  perhaps,  one  a  little  too  long.  I  should  esteem 
myself  happy  if  it  is  able  to  afford  you  any  pleasure, 
for  I  had  no  other  object  in  writing.  I  am,  with 
respect,  in  the  unity  of  your  holy  sacrifices,  &c. 


206 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


IX. 


THE  FUGITIVE  SLAVES   OF  CAYENNE. 

[Our  last  article  was  the  letter  of  Father  Fauque,  describing 
the  destruction  of  the  little  missionary  station  of  Oyapoc,  in 
1745.  I"^  the  conclusion  of  it,  he  expresses  his  doubts  whether 
the  French  Government  will  rebuild  their  ruined  fort,  and  con- 
tinue the  settlement.  It  seems,  from  a  letter  written  six  years 
later,  that  his  suspicion  was  correct,  and  Oyapoc  was  abandoned, 
as  it  is  evident  that  Father  Fauque  remained  at  Cayenne. 

We  publish  the  translation  of  this  letter,  as  containing  a  curi- 
ous picture  of  what  slavery  was  in  that  day  in  this  French  colony. 
It  shows,  too,  the  same  traits  of  character  of  the  simple-hearted 
Jesuit :  striving  after  self-denial  and  availing  himself  of  every 
opportunity  to  place  himself  in  the  way  of  a  possible  martyr- 
dom.] 

Letter  of  Father  Fauque,  of  the  Society  of  yesus,  to 
Father  A  Hart,  of  the  same  Society. 

At  Cayenne,  the  \oth  of  May,  1751. 
My  Reverend  Father,  —  The  peace  of  our  Lord 
be  with  you  !  The  desire  which  you  have  expressed 
to  learn  from  me  any  news  of  this  country,  which 
has  reference  to  the  salvation  of  souls,  has  induced 
me  to  send  you  to-day  a  brief  relation  of  our  enter- 
prise of  charity  of  which,  some  time  ago,  Providence 
furnished   me   the   opportunity,   and   which  resulted 


fit 


THE  FUGITIVE  SLA  VES  OF  CA  YENNE.       20/ 


equally  to  the  glory  of  God  and  the  welfare  of  this 
colony. 

You  know,  my  Reverend  Father,  that  the  principal 
wealth  of  the  inhabitants  of  South  America  consists 
in  their  negro  slaves,  whom  the  ships  of  the  company 
or  the  French  merchantmen  are  accustomed  to  pro- 
cure in  Guinea,  and  transport  direct  to  our  islands. 
The  trade  is  said  to  be  very  lucrative,  since  a  full- 
grown  man,  who  costs  fifty  crowns  or  two  hundred 
livres  at  the  Senegal,  will  here  sell  for  from  twelve  to 
fifteen  hundred  livres. 

It  would  be  useless  for  me  to  tell  you  how  the 
slave-trade  is  conducted  in  the'r  country,  what  kind 
of  merchandise  they  carry  there  for  that  purpose,  or 
the  precautions  it  is  necessary  to  take  to  avoid  the 
mortality  and  recklessness  and  revolts  in  these  slave- 
ships  ;  or  what  measures  we  and  the  other  mission- 
aries take  to  instruct  these  poor  heathen  when  they 
arrive  in  our  parishes.  On  all  these  points,  and  on 
many  others  of  the  same  kind,  an  infinite  number 
of  narratives  have  been  published,  with  which  you  are 
doubtless  acquainted.  But  what  has  always  impressed 
me,  and  to  which  I  have  not  been  able  to  become  rec- 
onciled, even  after  a  residence  of  twenty-four  years 
in  this  country,  is  the  manner  in  which  the  sale  of 
these  poor  wretches  is  conducted. 

As  soon  as  the  ship  with  which  they  are  freighted 
arrives  in  port,  the  captain,  after  having  taken  the 
steps  prescribed  by  the  Ordinances  of  the  King,  both 
before  the  Admiralty  and  the  Ministers  of  Justice, 
hires  a  large  warehouse,  where  he  lands  his  cargo. 


208 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


u    k 


I  w 


Thither,  as  to  a  market,  each  one  goes  to  choose  the 
slaves  who  suit  him  ;  and,  at  the  price  agreed  upon, 
to  take  them  home  with  him.  How  sad  is  it  for  a 
man  of  reason  and  susceptible  of  sentiment  and  re- 
flection, to  see  his  fellow-creatures  sold  in  this  way, 
like  beasts  of  burden  !  What  have  we  done  for  God, 
such  as  we  are,  —  I  have  more  than  once  asked  my- 
self, —  that  we  should  not  be  subjected  to  the  same 
fate  as  these  poor  wretches  ! 

But  the  negroes,  accustomed  in  their  own  country 
for  the  most  part  to  enjoy  their  liberty,  find  it  difficult 
to  submit  to  the  yoke  of  slavery,  which  is  often  ren- 
dered entirely  insupportable  to  them.  For  they  find 
masters  (I  mention  this  with  shame)  who  are  wanting 
towards  them,  not  only  in  that  consideration  which 
religion  enjoins,  but  even  in  the  attention  which  hu- 
manity itself  demands.  Thus  it  happens  that  many 
run  away,  —  what  they  term  here,  becoming  maroons; 
and  this  is  the  more  easy  in  Cayenne,  as  the  country 
is,  so  to  say,  without  boundaries,  extremely  moun- 
tainous, and  in  all  parts  covered  with  forests. 

Desertions  of  this  kind  (or  maroonage)  do  not  fail, 
after  a  time,  to  produce  an  infinite  amount  of  disorder. 
To  prevent  this  our  kings,  in  a  code  made  expressly 
to  regulate  the  slaves,  have  prescribed  a  particular 
punishment  for  each  commission  of  this  crime.  The 
first  time  that  a  slave  runs  away,  if  his  master  has 
taken  the  precaution  to  lodge  information  at  the  court, 
and  he  is  taken  one  month  after  the  day  of  the  notice, 
his  ears  are  cut  off,  and  he  is  branded  on  the  back 
with  the  fieiir-de-lis.     If  he  repeats  the  offence,  and 


N 


THE  FUGITIVE  SLA  VES  OF  CA  YENNE.      209 


fail, 
rder. 
ssly 
ular 
The 

has 
ourt, 
Dtice, 
back 

and 


remains  absent  one  month  after  he  has  been  declared 
in  Court,  he  is  hamstrung.  For  the  third  offence  he 
is  hung.  One  could  not  but  believe  that  the  severity 
of  this  law  would  retain  the  greater  number  in  their 
duty  ;  but  there  are  always  some  of  higher  courage, 
who  find  no  difficulty  in  risking  life  to  enjoy  liberty. 
As  lonc^  as  the  number  of  these  fugitives,  or  maroons^ 
is  not  great,  they  cause  but  little  uneasiness.  But  it 
becomes  an  evil  when  they  come  to  unite  in  large 
numbers,  because  it  then  may  result  in  most  disas- 
trous consequences.  It  is  this  which  our  neighbors, 
the  Dutch  at  Surinam,  have  often  experienced,  and  of 
which  they  are  now  having  proof  every  day  ;  being,  as 
they  say,  constantly  threatened  with  a  fatal  irruption, 
so  great  is  thf:  *iumber  of  runaway  slaves  in  the  woods. 

To  save  Cayenne  from  a  similar  evil,  Mons.  d'Or- 
villiers.  Governor  of  French  Guiana,  and  Mons.  le 
Moyne,  our  Intendant  Commissary,  were  no  sooner 
apprised  that  there  were  nearly  seventy  of  these 
wretches  assembled  about  ten  or  twelve  leagues  from 
here,  than  they  sent  in  pursuit  of  them  a  large  de- 
tachment of  regular  troops  and  militia.  They  arranged 
every  thing  so  well,  guided  by  their  wisdom  and  com- 
mon-sense, that  the  detachment,  notwithstanding  the 
detours  it  was  obliged  to  make  among  almost  inacces- 
sible mountains,  reached  its  destination  safely. 

But  all  the  precautions  and  all  the  measures  which 
this  force  was  able  to  adopt,  did  not  render  the  ex- 
pedition very  successful.  There  were  only  three  or 
four  maroons  captured,  of  whom  one  was  killed,  be- 
cause after  being  taken  he  endeavored  to  escape. 


N 


2IO 


HISTORICAL  SCENES, 


Sii 


On  the  return  of  this  detachment,  the  Governor, 
to  whom  the  prisoners  had  given  a  detailed  account 
of  the  number  of  the  fugitives,  their  different  settle- 
ments, and  the  measures  they  adopted  to  increase 
their  number,  was  disposed  to  send  a  second  detach- 
ment, when  we  thought  that  it  would  be  in  accordance 
with  our  ministry  to  offer  ourselves  to  go  and  endeavor 
to  bring  back  to  the  fold  these  wandering  sheep.  Many 
motives  united  in  inducing  us  to  undertaRe  this  good 
work.  In  the  first  place,  we  might  save  the  life,  both 
of  body  and  soul,  of  all  those  who  otherwise  would 
be  killed  in  the  woods ;  for  there  is  but  little  hope  of 
the  salvation  of  a  negro  who  is  put  to  death  in  his 
maroonage.  Again,  we  might  save  the  colony  a  great 
expense,  and  the  troops  a  very  severe  fatigue.  Be- 
sides all  this,  if  we  proved  successful,  we  would  be 
able  to  bring  back  to  the  workshops  of  the  inhabi- 
tants a  large  number  of  slaves,  whose  absence  caused 
trade  to  languish. 

But  however  forcible  these  reasons  might  appear, 
they  were  not  at  first  favorably  received.  This  offer 
of  mediation  appeared  too  mild  for  these  wretches, 
some  of  whom  had  been  fugitives  for  more  than 
twenty  years,  and  were  accused  of  great  crimes. 
And  besides,  it  was  said,  they  will  be  able  to  believe 
that  the  French  are  afraid  of  them,  since  they  send 
the  missionaries  to  seek  them.  However,  after  two 
or  three  days  of  deliberation,  our  proposition  was 
accepted,  and  Providence  permitted  the  choice  of  the 
one  who  should  make  this  journey  to  fall  upon  me. 

Some  friends  I  have  here,  who  weighed  this  matter 


THE  FUGITIVE  SLA  VES  OF  CA  YENNF.       2 1 1 


in  too  worldly  a  manner,  no  sooner  had  knowledge 
of  it  than  they  used  all  their  efforts  to  detain  me. 
"  Why  do  you  go  into  the  forest,"  some  asked  me 
"where  you  will  certainly  perish  from  fatigue  or 
want?"  "These  miserable,  negroes,"  others  said, 
"fearing  that  you  wish  to  deceive  them,  will  serve 
you  an  evil  turn."  Some  again  represented  to  me, 
that  I  might  fall  into  some  snare.  For  the  negroes, 
in  truth,  are  accustomed  to  excavate  in  the  middle  of 
the  path  deep  ditches,  which  they  covered  most  skil- 
fully at  the  surface  with  leaves,  so  that  no  one  could 
perceive  the  trap.  But  if  he  had  the  misfortune  to 
fall  into  it,  he  impaled  himself  on  the  hard  and  pointed 
stakes  with  which  these  ditches  are  bristling.  "  You 
will  lose  your  time  and  your  pains,"  said  those  who 
were  not  sanguine  as  to  the  result.  "  You  will  cer- 
tainly bring  none  of  them  back.  They  are  too  much 
accustomed  to  live  at  liberty  ever  to  return  and  sub- 
mit to  slavery." 

You  can  readily  believe,  my  Reverend  Father,  that 
reasons  of  this  kind  could  make  but  little  impression 
on  persons  of  our  profession,  who  have  abandoned 
home,  parents,  friends,  and  country,  and  who  have 
encountered  all  the  dangers  of  the  sea,  only  to  win 
souls  to  God  ;  too  happy  if  they  are  able  to  give  their 
lives  for  the  glory  of  their  Great  Master,  who  first 
sacrificed  even  His  own  self  for  us. 

I  set  out,  then,  with  four  of  the  slaves  of  the  House, 
and  one  free  negro  who  had  been  with  the  detachment 
of  which  I  have  spoken  above,  and  who  was  to  serve 
as  a  guide.     It  was  necessary  for  me  to  have  this 


I 


212 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


number,  to  carry  my  sacred  vessels  and  the  food 
required  for  the  journey.  We  went  first  by  canoe 
as  far  as  the  straits  of  Tonne-Grande,  which  is  one  of 
the  streams  watering  this  country.  At  this  place  we 
passed  the  night.  Early  in  the  morning,  I  said  there 
the  Holy  Mass,  to  implore  the  aid  of  Heaven,  without 
which  we  could  effect  nothing.  Immediately  after 
this  we  entered  the  forests.  Notwithstanding  all  the 
diligence  we  used,  we  could  only  accomplish  that  day 
about  two-thirds  of  our  intended  journey.  It  became, 
therefore,  necessary  for  us  to  camp  out,  after  the  man- 
ner of  the  country  ;  that  is  to  say,  that  we  should 
make  at  the  moment,  with  the  leaves  of  the  palm,  of 
which  there  are  many  kinds  in  this  country,  a  little 
ajoupa,  by  which  we  mean  a  kind  of  shed  which  serves 
for  a  shelter  from  the  injurious  effects  of  the  weather. 
As  soon  as  it  was  daylight,  we  resumed  our  route, 
and,  between  two  and  three  hours  after  midday,  we 
perceived  the  first  settlement  of  the  maroons,  which 
they  have  named  the  Mountain  de  Plomb  (of  lead),  be- 
cause they  find  there  a  great  quantity  of  little  stones, 
black  and  round,  which  these  wretches  are  accustomed 
to  use  in  place  of  bullets  for  their  guns.  When  I 
saw  the  smoke  through  the  woods,  I  thought  at  first 
that  those  who  were  the  ob;ect  of  my  journey  could 
not  be  far  distant.  But  I  was  mistaken  in  this  con- 
jecture. The  smoke  was  from  the  remains  of  the  fires 
kindled  by  the  detachment  which  had  preceded  me ; 
their  custom  being,  when  in  pursuit  of  fugitives  of  this 
kind,  to  burn  all  the  houses  or  dwellings,  and  to  make 
as  much  havoc  as  possible. 


THE  FUGITIVE  SLA  VES  OF  CA  YENNE.       2 1 3 


I  then  attempted  to  announce  myself  by  repeated 
blasts  on  a  kind  of  large  shell,  which  has  almost  the 
form  of  a  cone,  and  which  they  use  here  in  place  of  a 
bell,  to  give  the  negroes  the  signal  to  rise,  and  to  mark 
the  hours  of  labor.  But,  finding  that  no  one  appeared, 
I  went  forward  to  examine  the  site,  where  I  recog-nized 
the  traces  of  two  or  three  men,  whose  footsteps  had 
been  imprinted  on  the  ashes.  I  comprehended  that 
those  whom  I  sought  had  not  dared  to  appear  there 
since  they  had  been  pursued.  It  became  necessary 
for  us,  then,  again  to  encamp,  as  we  had  done  the  pre- 
ceding day ;  that  is,  to  construct  agaia  our  little 
ajoupa  to  pass  the  night. 

It  would  be  impossible,  my  Reverend  Father,  to 
narrate  to  you  all  that  the  fears  of  my  attendants  in- 
spired them  to  represent  to  me.  They  expected  that 
each  moment  we  would  draw  upon  ourselves  the  dis- 
charge of  a  musket  or  a  flight  of  arrows.  It  was  in 
vain  that  I  endeavored  to  reassure  them  to  the  best  of 
my  ability;  for  they  always  answered  that  they  knew 
better  than  I  did  the  thorough  malignity  of  the  run- 
away negro.  Nevertheless,  Providence  did  not  suffer 
us  to  encounter  any  disaster  during  that  night;  and, 
rising  at  the  break  of  day,  I  proceeded  again  to  sound 
my  shell,  which  served  me  as  a  hunting-horn,  and  the 
notes  of  which,  being  exceedingly  piercing,  ought  cer- 
tainly to  make  it  heard  to  a  very  great  distance,  be- 
sides being  in  the  midst  of  valleys  and  mountains. 
At  last,  after  having  waited  a  long  time,  and  walked 
about  everywhere,  as  I  did  the  day  before,  not  seeing 
any  one  coming,  I  resolved  to  go  to  the  place  where 


;ii4 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


they  had  found  the  maroons  a  few  days  before,  and 
where  one  of  them  had  been  killed. 

I  began  by  saying  the  Holy  Mass,  as  I  had  done  at 
Tonne-Grande,  after  which  we  entered  the  woods.  I 
should  judge  that,  from  one  abattis  to  the  other,  it  could 
scarcely  be  two  leagues ;  at  least,  it  took  us  only  about 
two  hours  to  make  the  journey.  (They  call  an  abat- 
tis here  a  space  in  the  woods  where  the  trees  are 
cut  down,  and  when  they  are  dry  they  are  burned, 
to  enable  them  to  plant  the  ground.)  The  maroons 
call  this  place  the  Abattis  of  the  Straits,  because  there 
is  a  fall  of  water  there.  This  site  appeared  to  me  much 
more  grand  and  better  situated  than  the  first,  which 
they  named,  as  I  have  said,  the  Mountain  de  Plomb. 
It  was  here,  also,  that  they  raised  their  food,  which 
consisted  of  the  cassida-plant,  bananas,  potatoes,  rice, 
ignames,  pineapples,  and  some  little  sugar-cane. 

As  soon  as  we  were  within  the  borders  of  this 
cleared  space,  I  announced  myself  by  my  usual  signal, 
and  immediately  made  a  circuit  entirely  around  it 
without  seeing  any  one.  All  I  remarked  was  that, 
only  a  few  days  before  they  had  been  gathering  the 
magrive  there,  and  that  they  had  interred  there  the 
body  of  the  one  who  had  been  killed.  But  the  grave 
was  so  shallow  that  it  emitted  an  intolerable  stench. 
I  approached,  however,  very  near  it,  to  say  the  prayer 
over  the  mi'serable  remains  ;  in  the  hope  that,  if  any  of 
his  companions  saw  me,  this  action  might  touch  them 
and  induce  them  to  come  to  me.  But  all  my  attempts 
were  vain;  and,  after  having  passed  the  remainder  of 
the  day  uselessly  in  this  place,  we  returned  to  sleep  at 


THE  FUGITIVE  SLA  VES  OF  CA  YENNE.       2 1 5 


the  Mountain  de  Plomb,  to  save  the  labor  of  construct- 
ing a  new  abattis. 

The  night  passed,  Hke  the  previous  one,  without 
any  disturbance,  but  not  without  fears  on  the  part  of 
my  fellow-travellers.  They  were  surprised  that  no 
one  came  out  from  the  woods  to  show  himself  to  us. 
As  for  myself,  I  did  not  know  what  to  think.  Neverthe- 
less, as  there  remained  still  one  abattis  for  me  to  visit, 
which  they  called  the  Abattis  of  Augustin,  because 
one  of  the  chiefs  of  the  maroons,  who  bore  that  name, 
made  his  usual  residence  there  with  his  band,  I  im- 
agined that  all  the  maroons  might  have  taken  refuge 
there,  as  being  the  most  distant  place.  My  difficulty 
was  that  my  guide  did  not  know  the  road.  After  a 
thorough  search,  we  discovered  a  small  footpath,  which 
we  took  at  a  venture,  and,  after  a  walk  of  about  four 
hours,  always  either  climbing  or  descending  the  moun- 
tains, we  arrived,  at  last,  at  the  borders  of  an  abattis. 
It  cost  us,  however,  great  labor  to  effect  an  entrance 
into  it,  as  its  boundaries  were  blocked  by  great  trunks 
of  trees.  However,  we  overcame  this  obstacle  by 
climbing  to  the  best  of  our  ability,  and  the  first  objects 
which  presented  themselves  to  us  were  two  huts.  I  ran 
to  them,  and  found  there  a  fire,  a  kettle,  some  meat 
just  boiled,  leaves  of  tobacco  for  smoking,  and  various 
other  things  of  the  same  kind.  I  did  not  doubt,  at 
the  time,  but  that  some  one  would  come  out  of  the 
woods  to  confer  with  me.  After  having,  however, 
called  thoroughly  and  walked  everywhere,  according 
to  my  custom,  to  do  every  thing  to  make  myself  known, 
not  seeing  any  one  appear,  and  having  still  much  of 


.H 


i 


2X6 


HISTORICAL  SCENES, 


til! 


the  day  remaining,  I  wished  to  go  still  farther  and 
endeavor  finally  to  reach  the  settlement  of  Augustin, 
having  always  persuaded  myself  that  those  whom  I 
sought  had  retired  to  that  place. 

The  companions  of  my  journey,  not  being  animated 
by  the  religious  motives  which  should  control  me,  and 
always  timid,  were  very  desirous  that  we  should  re- 
turn. They  proposed  it  to  me  more  than  once ;  but  I 
was  not  willing  to  leave  my  mission  unfinished.  I 
cannot  deny,  for  I  do  not  wish  to  conceal  any  thing 
from  you,  but  that,  in  the  bottom  of  my  heart,  I  my- 
self felt  the  influence  of  a  certain  fear.  The  total 
abandonment  in  w^hich  I  found  myself,  the  dread  of 
those  immense  forests  in  which  I  was  without  any 
possible  succor,  and  the  profound  silence  which 
reigned  there,  —  all  this,  as  would  naturally  happen 
under  such  circumstances,  in  spite  of  myself,  inspired 
me  with  gloomy  thoughts.  But  I  was  careful  to  stifle 
these  involuntary  feelings,  and  I  took  care  that  noth- 
ing should  appear  which  should  add  to  the  troubles  of 
those  who  accompanied  me.  After  having,  therefore, 
made  them  take  some  refreshments,  we  again  entered 
the  woods,  neither  one  nor  the  other  knowing  whither 
the  path  on  which  we  had  entered  led. 

The  Divine  Providence,  which  guarded  and  watched 
over  us,  permitted  that,  after  having  well  climbed  the 
mountains  and  valleys,  we  should  at  last  reach  our 
destination,  having  walked  for  only  about  two  hours. 
My  object,  however,  was  not  much  more  forwarded  by 
this ;  for  I  only  found  a  new  abattis,  which  had  been 
made  similar  to  the  one  which  I  had  left,  but  without 


THE  FUGITIVE  SLA  VES  OF  CA  YENNE. 


217 


bed 
the 
our 
Durs. 
dby 
Dcen 
hout 


any  person  condescending  to  see  us.  From  the  fresh 
traces,  however,  which  we  saw,  it  seemed  to  us  that, 
on  that  same  day,  they  had  been  there  digging  the 
roots  they  use  for  food  and  gathering  fruits. 

What  gave  me  the  most  concern  was,  that  the  ma- 
roons, imagining,  perhaps,  that  there  was  always  a 
detachment  at  their  heels,  had  themselves  set  fire  to 
their  dwellings  a  few  days  before;  with  the  object, 
without  doubt,  to  prevent  those  in  pursuit  from  occu- 
pying them.  I  could  not  doubt  but  that  they  saw  me 
from  the  borders  of  the  woods,  but  did  not  understand 
my  object.  Therefore,  I  shouted  with  all  my  force, 
that  they  could  come  to  me  with  entire  safety ;  that 
I  had  obtained  their  full  pardon  ;  that  my  profession 
forbade  my  aiding  in  the  death  of  any  one,  whoever  he 
might  be,  either  directly  or  indirectly ;  that  I  had  no 
guard  to  come  and  seek  them,  to  deliver  them  to  jus- 
tice ;  and  that,  finally,  I  and  my  people  were  in  their 
power,  since  we  were  but  six  in  all,  and  unarmed, 
while  they  were  a  large  number  anH  armed. 

"  Remember,  my  dear  children,"  I  said  to  them, 
"  that,  although  you  may  be  slaves,  you  are,  neverthe- 
less. Christians  like  your  masters  ;  that  since  your 
baptism  you  have  professed  the  same  religion  with 
them  ;  and  from  this  you  learn  that  those  who  do  not 
live  Christian  lives,  after  their  death  go  down  to  hell. 
What  misery  for  you  if,  having  been  in  slavery  to  men 
in  this  world  and  in  time,  you  should  become  the 
slaves  of  the  Devil  through  all  eternity  !  This  misery 
will  certainly  overtake  you,  if  you  do  not  return  to 

your  duty,  since  now  you  are  in  a  constant  state  of 
10 


2l8 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


condemnation.  For,  without  referring  to  the  wrong 
you  do  your  masters  in  depriving  them  of  your  labor, 
you  do  not  hear  the  Mass  on  Holy  Days,  you  never 
come  to  the  Sacrament,  you  live  in  concubinage,  not 
having  been  married  by  your  rightful  pastors.  Come, 
then,  to  me,  my  dear  friends  ;  come  without  fear. 
Have  pity  on  your  souls,  which  cost  Jesus  Christ  so 
dearly.  Give  me  the  satisfaction  of  leading  you  all 
back  to  Cayenne.  Make  amends  to  me  for  the  labors 
I  have  undergone  on  this  occasion.  Come  and  speak 
with  me  ;  and,  if  you  are  not  satisfied  with  the  assur- 
ances of  pardon  which  I  shall  give  you,  you  can  re- 
main in  your  present  abodes,  since  I  cannot  take  you 
back  by  force." 

At  length,  after  having  exhausted  all  that  zeal  and 
charity  could  suggest  on  such  an  occasion,  not  one  of 
these  miserable  beings  appearing,  we  went  back  to 
sleep  in  the  huts  we  had  left  at  the  other  abattis, 
partly  to  save  the  labor  of  constructing  new  quarters, 
and  partly  because  the  fresh  traces  we  had  seen  there 
gave  us  reason  to  think  that  some  of  them  might 
come  there  during  the  night.  But  no  one  showed 
himself  ;  so  that,  indignant  at  their  obstinacy,  towards 
four  o'clock  the  next  day  we  returned  to  the  Moun- 
tain de  Plomb.  We  remained  there  all  Saturday,  and 
there,  on  Sunday,  I  read  the  Holy  Mass  ;  and  as  it  was 
necessary  for  us  to  return,  because  our  provisions  had 
begun  to  fail,  I  wished,  before  departing,  to  leave  an 
unequivocal  monument  of  my  journey,  by  erecting 
there  a  Cross  of  a  kind  of  hard  wood,  and  which  still 
remains. 


ij-a^i 


THE  FUGITIVE  SLA  VES  OF  CA  VENAE.       2 19 


This  Cross,  as  I  shall  show  farther  on  in  my  narra- 
tive, was  the  means  of  rendering  my  enterprise  suc- 
cessful. For,  as  soon  as  the  negro  maroons  saw  it, 
they  came  there  to  say  tiieir  prayers ;  it  being  their 
custom,  notwithstanding  their  reckless  wickedness 
(what  would  be  difficult  to  believe),  to  pray  to  God 
morning  and  evening.  They  even  baptized  the  chil- 
dren which  were  born  among  them,  and  took  great 
care  to  instruct  them  in  the  principles  of  their  faith  as 
far  as  they  themselves  knew  them. 

As  soon  as  I  had  returned  to  Tonne-Grande,  where 
I  left  my  canoe,  I  informed  Messieurs  d'Orvilliers  and 
Lemoine  of  the  little  success  which  had  attended  my 
undertaking.  I  informed  them  that  I  should  remain 
for  some  time  in  this  region,  to  administer  the  Sac- 
rament at  Easter  to  the  negroes.  I  added,  also,  that 
having  been  placed,  at  the  beginning  of  this  journey, 
under  the  protection  of  the  Guardian  Angels,  I  had  a 
secret  presentiment  that  they  would  not  permit  me  to 
return  to  Cayenne  without  gaining  some  information 
with  regard  to  the  prodigal  children  who  had  been  its 
object.  In  fine,  I  prayed  these  gentlemen  to  assent 
to  an  extension,  for  some  days,  of  the  amnesty  which 
they  had  at  first  granted  them  ;  and  they  had  the 
kindness  to  extend  it  for  an  entire  month. 

After  this  answer,  I  began  what  they  call  here  the 
Easter  of  the  slaves  in  this  region  ;  that  is  to  say,  I 
went  round  to  their  different  dwellings  to  confess 
those  who  were  already  baptized,  and  to  instruct  those 
who  were  still  heathen.  It  is  our  custom  to  go  thus, 
at  least  once  a  year,  to  the  residences  of  all  the  colo- 


ill 


220 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


nists  who  are  our  parishioners,  however  distant  they 
may  be,  for  there  are  parishes  there  twenty-five  leagues 
in  extent.  And  you  can  form  no  idea,  my  Reverend 
Father,  of  the  good  work  there  is  to  do  there,  and 
which  is  effected  by  excursions  of  this  kind.  The 
missionary  to  whom  is  entrusted  this  holy  task  re- 
stores peace  to  families  which  are  divided,  by  reconcil- 
ing their  little  differences  ;  he  performs  the  Marriage 
Service,  to  put  an  end  to  their  illicit  connections,  to 
which  these  slaves  are  much  addicted  ;  he  endeavors 
to  mitigate  the  evils  connected  with  their  state,  by 
causing  them  to  look  upon  them  in  a  religious  light  ; 
he  makes  an  exact  estimate  of  their  actual  amount  of 
instruction,  to  prepare  by  degrees  for  the  Communion 
those  whom  he  judges  to  be  fitted,  our  custom  being 
to  permit  but  few  of  the  negroes  to  approach  the 
Sacrament,  from  the  experience  we  have  had  of  their 
unworthiness.  He  points  out  prudently  to  the  mas- 
ters the  faults  they  commit  in  the  treatment  of  their 
slaves,  —  perhaps  in  not  caring  sufficiently  for  their  re- 
ligious conduct  ;  perhaps  in  requiring  from  them  unjust 
labors  ;  perhaps  in  not  giving  them  sufficient  for  their 
food  and  clothing,  in  violation  of  the  wise  ordinances 
of  our  kings.  There  are  a  thousand  other  things  of  this 
kind  which  fall  within  the  province  of  the  minister,  and 
all  of  which  tend  equally  to  the  glory  of  God  and  the 
salvation  of  souls.  It  subjects  him  to  many  trials,  in 
truth,  in  making  such  rounds  in  a  land  like  this ;  for, 
when  he  is  in  the  country,  he  is  always  either  scorched 
by  the  rays  of  a  blazing  sun  or  deluged  by  violent 
rains.     But  to  what  will  not  a  disinterested  zeal  carry 


THE  FUGITIVE  SLA  VES  OF  CA  YENNE.       22 1 


one,  and  what  difficulties  will  it  not  be  able  to  sur- 
mount ! 

Nevertheless,  in  accomplishing  this  good  work  as 
there  was  opportunity  (for  this  is  not  my  ordinary 
employment  there),  I  was  not  forgetful  of  the  first 
object  of  my  journey.  I  took  great  paints  to  say  to 
the  negroes  that,  if  they  were  able  to  see  any  of  their 
companions  among  the  maroons,  they  should  assure 
them  that,  although  they  were  not  able  to  approach 
me  in  the  woods,  I  had,  nevertheless,  again  obtained  a 
month's  amnesty  for  them ;  but,  if  during  this  space 
of  time  they  did  not  return,  they  had  no  further  grace 
or  pardon  to  expect  ;  that  they  should  be  aware,  on 
the  contrary,  that  they  would  be  pursued  without 
ceasing,  even  to  the  utmost  extremity. 

At  last,  after  having  finished  my  mission,  and  made 
my  round  of  visits  to  all  the  dwellings  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  Tonne-Grande,  t  was  just  on  the  point  of 
embarking  in  my  canoe  to  return  to  Cayenne,  a  little 
ashamed,  in  truth,  at  having  failed  in  my  plan,  before 
the  eyes  of  men  who  ordinarily  only  judge  of  things 
by  their  success,  when  I  saw  coming  towards  me 
another  small  canoe,  managed  by  two  young  negroes. 
They  were  bearers  of  a  letter  from  the  steward  of 
Mount-Seneri,  which  is  the  name  of  a  sugar  plantation 
in  this  section,  who  informed  me  that  the  negro 
maroons  had  arrived  at  his  house,  and  were  inquiring 
for  me  with  great  solicitude.  I  flew  thither  with  even 
more  earnestness  than  they  themselves  exhibited,  and 
found  there,  in  truth,  some  twenty,  who  assured  me 
that  the  others  were  on  their  way  to  give  themselves 


322 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


up  to  me.  What  a  joyful  surprise  for  me,  my  Rever- 
end Father,  to  find  my  vows  fulfilled  when  their 
accomplishment  seemed  to  me  most  distant ! 

After  having  shed  some  tears  of  joy  over  these 
sheep,  wandering  for  so  long  a  time,  and  who  had 
now  returned  to  the  fold,  I  gave  them  some  reproaches 
for  not  having  been  willing  to  speak  to  me  while  I 
was  in  their  midst.  But  they  always  answered  that 
they  thought  there  might  be  some  detachment  in 
ambush  to  seize  them  ;  but  as  soon  as  they  saw  the 
sign  of  our  redemption  set  up  on  their  ground,  they 
were  at  length  convinced  that  the  time  had  come  to 
obtain  pardon,  both  for  their  souls  and  bodies. 
Whether  this  was  the  real  motive  which  led  them 
to  act,  or  whether  some  of  their  comrades  in  the 
different  settlements,  whom  I  had  prepared  for  Eas- 
ter, had  assured  them  of  the  sincerity  of  the  pardon 
I  had  offered  them,  I  have  never  been  able  to  discover. 
But,  however  this  may  be,  they  came  by  degrees  to 
the  number  of  fifty  ;  and  as  our  Governor,  who  had  a 
detachment  all  ready  to  march  into  the  woods,  if  I  had 
not  succeeded,  pressed  me  to  return  to  Cayenne,  I  set 
out  with  these  fifty  fugitives. 

It  would  be  impossible,  my  Reverend  Father,  to 
picture  to  you  the  demonstrations  of  joy  with  which 
they  received  me,  followed  by  my  train,  each  one  car- 
rying some  little  baggage  on  his  head  or  on  his  back. 
The  streets  were  lined  with  people  to  see  us  pass. 
The  masters  congratulated  each  other  on  having 
recovered  their  slaves  ;  and  the  negroes  themselves, 
who  belonged  in  the  town,  made  it  a  festival  at  their 


ll 


THE  FUGITIVE  SLA  VES  OF  CA  YENNE.       223 

meeting  once  more, — one  his  father,  another  his 
mother,  and  this  one  his  son  or  daughter.  And  as 
many  of  those  whom  I  was  conducting  back  had  not 
been  in  the  town  for  a  long  time,  and  their  attention 
was  much  attracted  by  the  changes,  our  progress  was 
slow,  that  they  might  have  an  opportunity  of  satisfy- 
ing their  curiosity.  At  the  same  time,  this  allowed 
their  comrades  time  to  embrace  them,  while  they 
made  the  air  to  resound  with  their  cries  of  joy  and 
thanksgiving.  The  most  striking  feature,  howevg", 
was  a  troop  of  young  people  of  both  sexes,  who  had 
been  born  in  the  forests,  and,  never  having  seen  any 
white  person,  or  the  house  of  a  Frenchman,  were 
never  tired  of  observing  them,  while,  according  to 
their  fashion,  they  manifested  their  admiration.  I 
first  conducted  my  little  troop  to  the  church,  where 
there  was  a  large  congregation  gathered,  in  conse- 
quence of  its  being  the  Festival  of  Saint  Francis 
Xavier ;  but  it  was  presently  entirely  packed  by  the 
crowd  which  followed  us. 

I  began  by  causing  these  miserable  beings  to  make 
a  proper  confession :  first,  to  God,  whose  service  they 
had  abandoned  for  so  long  a  time  ;  secondly,  to  their 
masters  and  the  colonists,  upon  many  of  whom  they 
had  inflicted  great  losses  ;  and,  thirdly,  to  their  com- 
panions, for  the  evil  example  they  had  given  them  by 
their  flight  and  by  their  thefts.  After  this,  I  said  the 
Holy  Mass,  as  a  Service  of  Thanksgiving.  They  took 
part  in  it  with  the  greater  pleasure  and  devotion  as 
many  among  them  had  not  heard  it  for  ten  or  twenty 
years.     When  it  was  ended,  I  presented  them  to  the 


■  % 
If- 


224 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


Governor,  who  confirmed  the  pardon  I  had  promised 
in  his  name,  and  then  they  returned  to  their  respec- 
tive masters. 

Immediately  afterwards,  they  sent  out  a  strong 
detachment  to  make  havoc  in  the  plantations  of  those 
who  remained,  and  to  endeavor  to  capture  or  kill  them. 
But  a  sickness  which  spread  through  the  force  as  soon 
as  it  arrived  in  those  places  caused  the  expedition  to 
fail.  In  consequence  of  this,  those  whom  I  had  left, 
to  the  number  only  of  seventeen,  great  and  small,  men 
and  women,  who  had  promised  that  they  would  shortly 
follow  me,  did  not  keep  their  word,  and  are  still  in  the 
woods.  They  have  been  even  joined  by  some  others 
since  that  time.  If  the  number  increases  to  a  certain 
point,  it  will  bj  a  great  misfortune  to  the  colony. 
But  the  wise  measures  which  our  magistrates  take  to 
prevent  it,  will  probably  save  us  from  such  disorders. 
I  pray  you,  nevei  i  heless,  my  Reverend  Father,  to 
unite  your  prayers  with  ours  to  obtain  this  grace 
from  Heaven.     I  am,  &c. 


i 


I  "  ! 


HUDSON  BAY  MISSIONARY. 


22$ 


X. 


TRIALS   OF  THE   HUDSON    BAY   MISSIONARY. 

1694. 

[From  the  tropical  forests  of  South  America,  we  turn  to  the 
frozen  regions  of  the  North,  —  to  the  bleak  shores  of  Hudson 
Bay,  where  no  civiiizetl  man  penetrates,  except  the  fur-traders 
who  deal  with  the  Indians  ;  and  there,  too,  we  find  the  Jesui*. 
His  letter  gives  us  the  record  of  his.  trials,  when  all  hisself-denia. 
was  rendered  useless  by  the  interference  of  national  enmitie 
It  is  sad  to  think  how  far  these  penetrate,  —  that  when  hostilities 
commence  in  Europe,  the  influence  extends  even  to  the  barbar- 
ous regions  near  the  Pole,  and  break  up  the  labors  for  the  spir- 
itual benefit  of  the  poor  savages  who  live  in  that  almost  perpetual 
winter.] 

Letter  0/  Father  Gabriel  Marest,  Missionary  of  the 
Society  of  yestis,  to  Father  de  Lambennlle,  of  the 
same  Society^  Procurator  of  the  Mission  iti  Canada, 

My  Reverend  Father,  —  The  peace  of  otir  Lord 

be  with  yon.     It  is  rather  late  to  ask  me  the  news  from 

Hudson  s  Bay.  I  was  much  more  in  a  condition  to  give 

it  to  you  when  I  crossed  over  again  into  France,  in 

returning  from  the  prisons  at  Plymouth.     All  that  I 

am  now  able  to  do,  is  to  send  you  some  extracts  from  a 

brief  journal  which  I  kept  at  that  time,  and  of  which 

I  have  preserved  a  copy.     It  begins  with  our  departure 
10*  o 


226 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


from  Quebec,  and  is  continued  until  the  return  of  the 
ships  which  carried  us  to  the  Bay.  It  is  perhaps,  how- 
ever, best  that  I  should  first  make  you  acquainted  with 
what  I  learned  at  Quebec,  partly  with  respect  to  the 
first  discovery  of  Hudson's  Bay,  and  partly  concern- 
ing some  subsequent  events  of  which  I  heard  from 
two  Jesuits  who  had  made  the  same  voyage  before  me. 

It  is  now  more  than  200  years  that  navigators  of 
different  nations  have  been  endeavoring  to  open  a  new 
route  to  China  and  Japan  by  the  North ;  yet  none  of 
them  have  been  able  to  succeed,  for  God  has  placed 
in  their  way  an  invincible  obstacle  in  the  mountains  of 
ice  with  which  those  seas  abound.  It  was  with  the 
same  design  that,  in  161 1,  the  famous  Hudson,  an 
Englishman,  penetrated  more  than  five  hundred 
leagues  beyond  his  predecessors,  by  the  great  Bay 
which  to  our  day  bears  his  name,  and  in  which  he 
passed  the  winter.  In  the  spring  of  the  following 
year  he  wished  to  continue  his  voyage  ;  but  his  stores 
began  to  fail,  and  disease  weakened  his  crew,  so  that 
he  found  himself  obliged  to  return  to  England.  Two 
years  afterwards,  he  made  a  second  attempt,  and,  in 
1614,  advanced  as  far  as  the  82nd  degree.  But  he  was 
so  often  in  danger  of  peiishing,  and  fouiid  such  diffi- 
culty in  returning,  that  since  that  time  neither  he  nor 
any  one  else  have  dared  to  undertake  to  advance  so 
far. 

Nevertheless,  the  English  merchants,  to  profit  by 
the  voyages  and  discoveries  of  their  countrymen,  have 
since  made  an  establishment  at  Hudson's  Bay.  Their 
object  was  to  conduct  a  trade  in  furs  with  the  many 


I   .  life; 


1 


HUDSON  BAY  MISSIONARY. 


227 


Southern  Indians,  who,  during  the  heat  of  summer, 
come  in  their  canoes  down  the  rivers  which  empty  into 
the  Bay.  At  first,  they  only  built  some  houses  in 
which  to  pass  the  winter  and  await  the  arrival  of  the 
Indians.  They  suffered  much  there,  and  many  of  them 
died  of  scurvy.  But  as  the  furs  which  the  savages 
brought  to  this  Bay  were  remarkably  fine,  and  the 
profits,  of  course,  proportionably  gieat,  the  English 
were  not  deterred  by  the  variableness  of  the  atmos- 
phere or  the  severity  of  the  climate.  They  were  not, 
however,  left  in  undisputed  possession  ;  for  the  French 
in  Canada  wished  also  to  establish  themselves  in  the 
same  way,  and  claimed  that,  as  many  of  the  neighbor- 
ing countries  were  part  of  the  same  continent  as  New 
France,  they  had  a  right  to  trade  to  the  51st  degree, 
and  even  much  higher. 

A  misunderstanding,  of  course,  grew  up  between  the 
two  nations  ;  each  built  some  forts  for  the  purpose  of 
protecting  itself  from  the  insults  of  the  other.  But 
the  frequent  maladies  and  the  continual  dangers  to 
which  they  were  exposed,  rendered  the  French  un- 
willing to  undertake  these  expeditions  without  having 
theii  chaplain  with  them.  It  was  in  this  capacity, 
therefore,  that  Father  Dalmas,  a  native  of  Tours, 
embarked  for  Hudson's  Bay,  Having  arrived  there, 
he  offered  to  remain  in  the  fort,  as  well  to  serve  the 
French  who  were  stationed  there  in  garrison,  as  to 
have  an  opportunity  of  learning  the  language  of  the 
Morians,  who  brought  thither  their  furs  in  the  sum- 
mer. He  wished,  in  this  way,  to  qualify  himself  at 
length  to  preach  the  Gospel  among  ^hem.     But  the 


i 


228 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


ships  which  should  have  brought  their  provisions  in 
the  following  year,  having  been  always  driven  off  by 
the  violence  of  head-winds,  the  greater  part  of  those 
who  remained  in  the  fort  perished  by  famine  or  dis- 
ease. At  last,  their  number  was  reduced  to  eight  indi- 
viduals, five  of  whom  having  departed  on  a  hunting 
expedition  on  the  snow  in  the  woods,  there  remained 
in  the  fort  only  Father  Dalmas,  the  surgeon,  and  a 
tool-maker. 

On  their  return,  four  or  five  days  afterwards,  they 
were  very  much  surprised  not  to  find  either  the  Father 
or  the  surgeon.  They,  of  course,  demanded  of  the  tool- 
maker  what  had  become  of  them  ;  but  the  embarrass- 
ment with  which  he  received  them,  the  contradictory 
answers  he  gave,  and  some  traces  of  blood  which  they 
perceived  on  the  snow,  induced  them  to  seize  the 
miserable  man  and  place  him  in  irons.  Finding  him- 
self thus  arrested,  and  being  pressed  also  by  remorse 
of  conscience,  he  confessed  that,  having  been  long  at 
variance  with  the  surgeon,  he  had,  one  morning,  mur- 
dered him,  and  then  drawn  his  body  to  the  river,  where 
he  thrust  it  through  a  hole  he  had  made  in  the  ice. 
Having  immediately  returned  to  the  fort,  he  found  the 
Father  in  the  chapel  preparing  to  say  Mass.  The  un- 
happy man  asked  to  speak  with  him  ;  but  the  Father  put 
him  oiT  till  after  service,  which  he  performed  as  usual. 

Mass  being  ended,  he  confessed  to  the  priest  what 
had  happened,  declared  the  despair  he  felt,  and  his  fear 
lest  the  others,  on  their  return,  should  put  him  to 
death.  "  It  is  not  that  which  you  have  most  to  fear," 
answered  the  Father,  "  for  we  are  a  very  small  num- 


HUDSON  BAY  MISSIONARY. 


229 


ber,  and  they  have  too  much  need  of  your  services  to 
wish  to  put  you  to  death.  Should  they  show  any  in- 
tention of  doing  so,  I  promise  you  I  will  oppose  it  to 
the  utmost  of  my  power.  But  I  expect  you  to  confess 
before  God  the  enormity  of  your  crime,  and  to  do 
penance  for  it.  You  have  need  to  appease  the  anger 
of  God,  and  I  that  of  men."  The  Father  added  that, 
if  he  wished  him  to  do  so,  he  would  go  and  meet  those 
who  were  returning  from  the  hunt,  endeavor  to  soften 
them,  and  gain  from  them  a  promise  that  they  would 
not  harm  him  on  their  arrival.  The  tool-maker  ac- 
cepted the  offer,  appeared  to  be  composed,  and  the 
Father  departed.  But  scarcely  had  he  left  the  fort, 
when  this  miserable  man  found  himself  troubled  anew. 
Dark  forebodings  filled  his  mind,  and  he  became  pos- 
sessed with  the  notion  that  the  Father  would  deceive 
him,  and  had  gone  to  find  the  others,  only  to  prejudice 
them  against  him. 

With  this  idea,  he  took  his  axe  and  gun  to  run 
after  the  Father.  Perceiving  him  at  a  distance  by  the 
river,  he  called  to  him  to  wait,  which  the  missionary 
did.  As  soon  as  he  came  up,  he  reproached  him  for 
being  a  traitor  and  intending  to  betray  him,  at  the 
same  time  giving  him  a  blow  with  his  gun,  which 
severely  wounded  him.  To  escape  from  the  fury  of 
this  infatuated  man,  the  Father  threw  himself  upon 
a  large  cake  of  ice,  which  was  floating  in  the  water. 
The  tool-maker  sprang  after  him,  and  struck  him 
down  with  two  blows  of  his  axe,  which  he  inflicted 
on  his  head.  After  having  cast  his  body  under  the 
same  piece  of  ice  on  which  the  Father  had  taken 


^ 


\ 


230 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


refuge,  he  returned  to  the  fort,  where  the  five  others 
shortly  arrived. 

They  had  resolved  to  guard  him  in  this  manner 
until  the  arrival  of  the  first  ships,  in  which  he  could 
be  sent  back  ;  but,  before  assistance  could  arrive,  the 
English  attacked  the  fort.  Those  who  guarded  it 
had  taken  the  precaution  to  keep  all  their  cannons 
loaded,  and  were  thus  prepared  to  make  a  furious  dis- 
charge upon  their  enemies  whenever  they  made  their 
approaches.  This  heavy  fire,  which  wounded  and 
killed  many  of  their  men,  made  them  think  there  was 
yet  a  strong  party  in  the  fort ;  and  they  therefore 
retreated,  with  the  determination  to  come  back  with 
a  greater  force.  They  did,  in  fact,  return,  and  pre- 
pared to  attack  the  place  in  form.  The  five  French, 
therefore,  who  garrisoned  it,  finding  themselves  not 
in  a  condition  to  resist,  escaped  by  night  through  one 
of  the  embrasures  of  the  cannon,  and  gained  the 
woods,  leaving  the  tool-maker  alone,  and  bound  as  he 
was.  They  of  course  never  knew  what  the  English 
thought  of  it,  or  what  account  of  himself  he  gave 
them.  But,  of  the  five  persons  who  left  the  fort,  three 
died  on  the  road,  and  only  two  arrived,  after  great 
fatigues,  at  Montreal.  It  was  from  them  that  I  re- 
ceived this  account,  which  I  have  now  given  you. 

The  accident  which  had  happened  to  Father  Dalmas 
did  not,  however,  deter  Father  Sylvie  from  returning, 
some  time  afterwards,  to  Hudson's  Bay,  to  serve  in  the 
same  capacity  as  chaplain.  But,  at  the  same  time,  he 
wished  to  open  a  way  for  preaching  the  Gospel  to  the 
savages  farther  south,  who  hitherto  had  been  without 


Sh^- 


HUDSON  BAY  MISSIONARY. 


231 


any  instruction.  He  soon,  however,  found  himself  so 
disabled  that  he  was  under  the  necessity  of  embarking 
to  return  to  Quebec,  where  he  has  never  yet  entirely 
recovered  from  the  maladies  he  contracted  at  the  Bay. 
On  my  arrival  in  Canada,  I  was  destined  to  the  same 
duty ;  which,  I  will  not  conceal  from  you,  was  contrary 
to  my  inclination.  My  design  in  leaving  France  was 
to  devote  myself,  as  far  as  possible,  to  the  service  of 
the  Indians,  from  which,  by  this  arrangement,  I  found 
myself  still  farther  removed. 

The  late  M.  J'lberville,  one  of  the  bravest  captains 
we  have  had  in  New  France,  had  received  orders  to 
make  himself  master  of  some  posts  which  the  Eng- 
lish had  occupied  on  Hudson's  Bay.  For  this  pur- 
pose, he  had  equipped  two  ships-of-war,  the  "  Poli," 
on  which  he  was  about  himself  to  embark,  and  the 
*'  Salamandre,"  commanded  by  M.  de  Serigny.  Hav- 
ing requested  from  our  Father  Superior  a  missionary 
who  might  serve  as  chaplain  to  the  two  ships,  the 
Superior  selected  me,  apparently  because,  having 
lately  arrived,  and  being  as  yet  entirely  unacquainted 
with  any  of  the  Indian  languages,  I  was  the  least 
necessary  in  Canada. 

We  accordingly  embarked,  on  the  loth  of  August, 
1694,  and,  towards  midnight,  anchored  opposite  to  Cape 
Torment.^  We  doubled  it  on  the  iith,  at  seven  or 
eight  o'clock  in  the  morning,  but,  in  consequence  of 
a  head-wind,  made  but  little  during  the  remainder  of 

1  This  cape  is  only  eight  miles  distant  from  Quebec.  It  is  called 
Torment,  because,  with  the  least  wind,  the  water  is  agitated  as  in  the 
open  sea. 


lit  ' 


232 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


!a,  i,4. 


:  t    ; 


that  day,  or  the  three  following  days.  I  therefore 
availed  myself  of  this  leisure  to  engage  the  greater 
part  of  the  crew  in  celebrating  the  Festival  of  the  Holy 
Virgin.  On  the  14th,  I  distributed  in  the  "  PoU  "  the 
images  of  Our  Lady,  which  had  been  given  me  at 
Quebec  by  Madame  Champigny,  Lady  of  the  Inten- 
dant  of  Canada,  and  passed  all  the  evening  and  the 
next  morning  in  hearing  confessions.  Many  received 
the  Communion  on  the  day  of  the  Festival.  When  I 
had  finished  the  service  of  the  Mass,  the  wind  changed, 
and  they  set  sail  immediately.  On  the  20th,  however, 
the  wind  having  again  entirely  died  away,  I  passed 
from  the  "  Poli "  to  the  "  Salamandre,"  to  see  M.  de 
Serigny,  and  to  celebrate  the  Mass  on  board.  The 
crew  were  very  much  delighted,  and  many  availed 
themselves  of  this  occasion  to  go  to  Confession  and 
receive  the  Sacrament. 

On  the  2 1  St  we  passed  Belle-Isle.  This  island, 
which  is  circular  in  shape,  is  as  high  as  fifty-two 
degrees  north  latitude,  and  distant  two  hundred  and 
twenty  leagues  from  Quebec,  in  the  midst  of  a  strait, 
which  forms  the  island  of  Newfoundland  {Terre- 
Neuve)  by  separating  it  from  the  mainland  of  Labra- 
dor. We  began  from  this  time  to  come  in  sight  of 
the  high  mountains  of  ice  which  float  in  these  seas,  of 
which  we  saw,  perhaps,  one  and  twenty.  They  ap- 
peared at  a  distance  like  mountains  of  crystal,  and 
some  like  rocks,  with  rough,  bristling  points. 

On  the  22d,  we  had  in  the  morning  a  perfect  calm ; 
but,  towards  mid-day,  a  head-wind  sprang  up,  and 
continued  to  blow  very  violently  during  the  24th  and 


HUDSON  BAY  MISSIONARY. 


233 


25th.  The  two  following  days  we  had  a  return  of  the 
calm,  which  was  equally  prejudicial  to  us  as  the  head- 
wind. The  season  was  already  far  advanced,  and  we 
were  in  a  region  where  winter  came  at  once,  without 
being  preceded  by  autumn.  We  were  at  the  height 
of  fifty-six  degrees,  and  much  of  our  voyage  remained 
to  be  accomplished,  over  a  sea  dangerous  on  account 
of  the  great  banks  of  ice  which  are  generally  found 
there,  but  through  the  middle  of  which  it  was  neces- 
sary that  we  should  make  our  way  as  high  as  the 
sixty-third  degree. 

On  the  28th,  at  eight  o'clock  in  the  evening,  a  light 
trade-wind,  which  came  from  the  south,  enabled  us  to 
advance  well  on  our  way,  during  the  two  or  three  days 
that  it  lasted.  On  the  31st,  the  wind  changed  a  little, 
but,  nevertheless,  without  ceasing  to  be  favorable  for 
us.  It  brought  with  it,  however,  a  heavy  fog,  which 
prevented  us  from  seeing  the  land,  which  we  supposed 
to  be  not  far  distant,  and  to  which  we  were,  in  fact, 
very  near.  In  the  middle  of  the  day  the  weather 
cleared ;  and  we  saw,  without  difficulty,  the  coast,  bor- 
dered with  a  great  quantity  of  rocks,  which  they 
called  "  sugar-loaves  "  {pains  de  sticre),  because  they 
were  of  that  shape.  They  were  entirely  covered  with 
snow.  In  the  evening  we  entered  the  strait  through 
which  we  had  to  pass  in  going  to  Hudson's  Bay. 

This  strait,  which  is  called  the  Canal  or  Strait  of 
the  North,  is  very  difficult  of  navigation,  on  account 
of  the  islands  of  ice  which  are  continually  forming  in 
this  cold  climate,  and  through  this  passage  discharge 
themselves  into  the  open  sea.     The  shores  of   the 


234 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


strait  run  generally  west-north-west  and  east-south- 
east. At  both  ends  of  it  there  are  some  islands,  situ- 
ated on  the  southern  shore.  Those  which  are  found 
at  the  entrance  of  the  strait  —  at  the  eastern  end, 
towards  Europe  —  are  called  the  Bouton  Islands. 
They  are  in  latitude  sixty  degrees  and  some  minutes. 
Those  which  are  situated  at  the  other  extremity  of  the 
same  strait  are  called  the  Digues  Islands.  They  are 
in  about  sixty-three  degrees.  Besides  these,  there  are 
many  others  scattered  through  the  strait,  which  is  one 
hundred  and  thirty-five  leagues  in  length.  Its  least 
breadth  is  seven  or  eight  leagues,  but  it  is  generally 
much  wider.  We  saw,  from  time  to  time,  large  bays, 
especially  near  the  Bouton  Islands.  There  is  one  in 
particular  much  larger  than  the  rest,  by  which,  they 
say,  it  is  possible  to  go  to  the  southern  extremity  of 
the  Bay  of  Hudson ;  but  this  is  very  doubtful. 

It  often  takes  a  long  time  to  go  through  this  strait ; 
but  we  made  the  passage,  very  happily,  in  four  days. 
We  entered  it  at  four  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  the 
I  St  of  September,  and  left  it  on  the  5th,  also  in  the 
morning,  with  a  wind  very  favorable,  but  which  in- 
creased very  much  on  the  6th.  On  the  7th  the 
weather  was  calm,  which  gave  more  than  fifty  per- 
sons an  opportunity  of  receiving  the  Sacrament  on 
the  next  day,  which  was  the  Festival  of  the  Nativity 
of  the  Holy  Virgin. 

The  calm  continued  on  the  8th,  the  9th,  and  the 
loth,  which  caused  much  sadness  and  disquietude 
among  all  the  crew.  I  therefore  exhorted  our  Cana- 
dians to  implore  the  protection  of  Saint  Anne,  whom 


HUDSON  BAY  MISSIONARY. 


235 


they  regard  as  the  patron  saint  of  the  country,  and  all 
honor  with  great  devotion.  My  proposition  was  re- 
ceived with  joy ;  and  we  engaged  to  make,  during  all 
that  day,  both  morning  and  evening,  our  public  prayers 
in  honor  of  that  saint.  During  the  following  night  the 
wind  became  favorable. 

On  the  1 2th,  we  discovered  the  North  land  {la  terre 
du  Nord),  but  below  the  point  we  wished  to  make. 
The  wind  having  again  become  contrary,  we  beat 
about  during  several  days,  without  making  any  head- 
way, and  were  at  length  obliged  to  cast  anchor.  We 
now  began  to  suffer  much,  the  cold  increased,  and  the 
water  was  almost  exhausted.  In  this  extremity,  our 
Canadians  came  to  me  with  a  proposal  that  they 
should  make  a  vow  to  Saint  Anne  to  consecrate  to 
her  honor  the  first  gain  they  made  in  this  country.  I 
approved  of  their  design,  after  communicating  it  to 
M.  d'Iberville.  At  the  same  time,  I  exhorted  them  to 
strive  after  their  own  sanctification,  since  it  was  the 
purity  of  their  lives  which  rendered  their  vows  agree- 
able to  God.  The  greater  part  profited  by  my  advice, 
and  came  to  Confession  and  received  the  Sacrament. 
The  following  day  the  sailors  wished  to  follow  the 
example  of  the  Canadians,  and  make  the  same  vow 
which  they  had  done,  while  M.  d'Iberville  and  the 
other  officers  took  the  lead  in  the  movement.  The 
following  night,  which  was  that  of  the  2ist  of  Sep- 
tember, God  gave  us  a  favorable  wind. 

On  the  24th,  at  six  o'clock  in  the  evening,  we 
entered  the  river  Bourbon.  The  joy  was  great 
through  the  whole  crew.     It  was  on  Friday,  and  we 


236 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


chanted  the  hymn  Vexilla  Regis,  and,  above  all,  that 
of  0  Crux  ave,  which  we  repeated  many  times  in 
honor  of  the  adorable  Cross  of  our  Saviour,  in  a 
country  where  it  was  unknown  to  the  Indians,  and 
where  it  had  been  so  often  profaned  by  the  heretics, 
who  had  thrown  down  with  contempt  all  the  crosses 
which  we,  the  French,  had  in  other  times  erected 
there. 

The  river,  to  which  the  French  have  given  the 
name  of  Bourbon,  is  called  by  the  English  the  river 
Pornetton,  from  whence  it  happens  that  many  of  the 
French  still  call  the  territories  around,  the  country  of 
Pornetton.  The  river  is  deep  and  broad,  and  extends 
far  into  the  heart  of  the  country  ;  but,  as  it  is  filled 
with  rapids,  it  is  less  convenient  for  the  trade  of  the 
Indians.  For  this  reason  the  EngHsh  have  not  built 
their  fort  on  its  banks.  At  the  south-east  of  the 
river  Bourbon,  and  in  the  same  bay,  another  river 
empties,  equally  great,  which  the  first  discoverers 
called  the  river  of  Saint  Th^r^se,  because  the  wife 
of  him  who  first  saw  it  bore  the  name  of  that  holy 
Saint. 

These  two  rivers  are  only  separated  by  a  low  tongue 
of  land,  which  forms  in  both  of  them  very  extensive 
shallows.  The  mouths  of  these  rivers  are  in  latitude 
fifty-seven  degrees  and  some  minutes.  They  both 
run  to  the  same  point  of  the  compass,  and  for  a  long 
distance  their  channels  are  not  more  than  one  or  two 
leagues  apart.  The  shallows  with  which  they  are 
filled  render  them  dangerous  to  large  vessels.  But, 
as  this  difficulty  exists  to  a  less  extent  in  the  river 


HUDSON  BAY  MISSIONARY, 


237 


Bourbon,  it  was  determined  that  the  "  Poli "  should 
winter  there,  while  the  "  Salamandre  "  was  placed  in 
the  river  Saint  Ther^se,  on  the  banks  of  which  the 
English  had  built  their  fort  on  the  tongue  of  land 
which  separates  the  two  rivers. 

We  arrived,  as  I  said  before,  in  the  river  Bourbon 
on  the  24th,  at  six  o'clock  in  the  evening.  The  same 
night  they  sent  a  party  of  our  people  on  shore  to 
attempt  to  surprise  some  of  the  English.  They 
found,  however,  much  difficulty  in  landing  on  account 
of  the  shallows,  and  were  obliged  to  cast  themselves 
into  the  water,  while  the  ice  which  lined  the  banks 
furnished  an  additional  obstacle.  Among  those  who 
were  sent  on  shore  was  an  Iroquois  Indian,  whom,  on 
leaving  Quebec,  they  had  requested  me  to  baptize.  I 
had  hitherto  deferred  this  rite  to  allow  time  for  his 
further  instruction ;  but  now,  seeing  the  perils  to 
which  he  was  exposed,  I  did  not  think  it  right  to  defer 
it  any  longer.  One  of  our  Canadians,  however,  who 
spoke  the  Iroquois  language,  had  been  of  great  ser- 
vice to  me  in  preparing  him  for  that  step.  The  peo- 
ple whom  we  had  sent  on  shore  were  not  able  to 
surprise  any  of  the  English,  because  we  had  been 
seen  the  moment  of  our  arrival,  and  they  had  all 
immediately  retired  within  their  works  ;  but  on  the 
25th  they  brought  off  two  Indians,  whom  they  had 
taken  near  the  fort. 

M.  d'lberville  had  been  on  the  same  day  to  sound 
the  river,  and  look  for  a  place  where  our  vessel  could 
be  sheltered  during  the  winter.  We  found  one  which 
was  very  commodious  ;  and,  after  having  visited  those 


$' 


.' 


I 


lllll! 


I 


238 


HISTORICAL  SCENES, 


whom  he  had  caused  to  debark,  and  given  his  orders, 
he  charged  M.  de  Serigny  with  the  care  of  taking  the 
"  Poll "  round  to  the  place  assigned,  and  then,  on  the 
27th,  went  himself  on  board  of  the  "  Salamandre," 
'vhither  I  followed  him. 

On  the  evening  of  the  same  day  e  arrived  at  the 
mouth  of  the  river  Saint  Th6r6se ;  nor  did  we  fail, 
on  entering  it,  to  place  ourselves  under  the  protection 
of  t^iat  holy  saint.  In  the  middle  of  the  night,  M. 
d' Iberville  departed  to  sound  this  second  river.  On 
the  28th,  we  advanced  up  it  a  league  and  a  half  by 
means  of  the  tide,  the  wind  being  ahead.  The  rest  of 
the  day  was  employed  in  sounding  both  shores.  On 
the  29th,  we  again  made  a  short  league ;  and  M. 
d' Iberville  went  on  shore  to  mark  out  his  camp,  and 
the  spot  alongside  of  which  he  i-  ded  the  ship  to 
lay.  He  found  one  which  he  like*^,  jut  half  a  league 
below  the  fort.  A  large  point  of  land,  sufficiently  high, 
extended  into  the  river,  and  thus  formed  a  kind  of  bay, 
in  which  the  ship  could  be  entirely  sheltered  from  the 
drifting  of  the  ice,  which  is  to  be  very  much  feared  in 
the  Spring.  Orders  were  accordingly  issued  for  those 
of  our  people  who  had  already  landed  to  encamp  in 
this  place.  They  were  not  more  than  twenty  in  num- 
ber ;  but  the  Indians  of  the  country  had  reported  to 
the  English  that  ihey  were  more  than  forty  or  fifty, 
which  intelligence  had  always  deterred  them  from 
going  out  of  the  fort. 

On  the  30th,  it  was  impossible  for  us  to  advance. 
The  1st  of  October  found  us  still  in  the  same  state, 
the  wind  alwaj'^s  ahead ;  and,  as  we  ran  aground  at 


"KB 


HUDSON  BAY  MISSIO^AKV. 


239 


Ince. 

tate, 
at 


each  low  tide,  it  was  impossible  to  tack.  The  wind, 
too,  and  the  cold  and  the  ice,  increased  every  day. 
We  thus  found  ourselves  only  one  league  from  the 
place  where  we  ought  to  debark,  but  in  danger  of 
never  reaching  it.  At  length  the  crew  began  to  be 
alarmed ;  but  I  exhorted  them  to  trust  to  the  protec- 
tion of  God,  who  had  never  yet  deserted  them  in  their 
voyage.  On  board  the  "  Salamandre  "  they  made  the 
same  run  which  had  already  been  made  in  the  "  Poli ; " 
and  on  that  very  day  the  wind  changed  and  became 
favorable. 

At  eight  o'clock  in  the  evening  we  weighed  anchor, 
the  moon  being  very  bright ;  and,  favored  by  the  tide, 
our  boat,  rowed  by  six  oars,  towed  the  ship,  and  con- 
ducted it  even  within  gunshot  of  the  place  where  we 
wished  to  go.  We  were  still,  however,  not  able  to  land 
there,  !or  the  tide  left  us.  In  passing  the  fort,  they 
gave  u  <:hree  or  four  discharges  from  their  cannon, 
but  thei.  bullets  did  not  reach  us.  Our  Canadians 
only  answered  them  with  the  sassa  koues,  which  is  the 
name  the  Indians  have  bestowed  on  the  peculiar  cries 
they  make  in  sign  of  rejoicing. 

On  the  2d,  we  thought  our  vessel  would  have  been 
lost.  As  we  got  under  way,  in  the  hope  of  immedi- 
ately making  the  port,  which,  so  to  speak,  we  were 
just  touching,  a  great  whirlwind  of  snow  concealed 
the  land  from  us,  while  a  violent  north-west  wind 
threw  us  on  a  shallow,  where  we  grounded  at  high 
tide.  Here  we  passed  a  most  dismal  night.  At  six 
in  the  evening,  the  ice,  brought  down  by  the  current 
and  thrust  on  by  the  wind,  commenced  striking  against 


li!'  ^ 


240 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


the  ship,  with  a  noise  so  frightful  that  it  might  have 
been  heard  at  the  distance  of  a  league.  The  crashing 
continued  four  or  five  hours.  The  ice  shocked  the 
vessel  so  rudely  that  it  pierced  the  wood,  and  stripped 
it  off  in  many  places  to  the  breadth  of  three  or  four 
fingers.  M.  d'lberville,  to  lighten  the  vessel,  thought 
best  to  throw  overboard  on  the  shallow  twelve  pieces 
of  cannon,  and  divers  other  things  which  the  water 
could  not  destroy,  and  which  would  not  be  injured  by 
remaining  there.  We  afterwards  made  a  covering  on 
the  sand  for  these  pieces  of  cannon,  for  fear  lest  they 
should  be  dragged  off  in  the  spring  by  the  drifting  of 
the  ice. 

On  the  3d,  the  wind  having  somewhat  moderated, 
M.  d'lberville  determined  to  commence  discharging 
the  ship,  which  was  every  moment  in  danger  of  being 
lost.  We  were  unable  to  use  the  boat  for  this  purpose, 
because  it  was  not  possible  to  manage  it  amongst  the 
ice,  which  was  constantly  carried  by  in  great  quan- 
tities. We  therefore  employed  bark  canoes,  which 
we  had  brought  with  us  from  Quebec,  and  which  our 
Canadians  guided  through  the  midst  of  the  ice  with 
wonderful  skill. 

For  some  days  afterwards  I  was  unwell,  and  had  at 
the  same  time  a  fever.  M.  d'lberville  pressed  me  to 
go  on  shore  ;  but  I  could  not  make  up  my  mind  to 
quit  the  vessel  in  the  peril  in  which  it  then  was,  and 
in  the  midst  of  the  alarm  in  which  I  saw  all  the  crew. 
I  was  constrained,  however,  to  do  so  by  the  sad  news 
which  wc  shortly  afterwards  received.  M.  de  Cha- 
tcauguai,  a  young  officer  of  nineteen  years  of  age,  and 


HUDSON  BAY  MISSIONARY. 


241 


the  brother  of  M.  d' Iberville,  had  gone  to  discharge 
his  gun  towards  the  English  fort  to  occupy  their 
attention,  and  prevent  their  having  any  knowledge 
of  our  embarrassments.  Having,  however,  advanced 
too  far,  he  was  wounded  by  a  ball,  which  passed 
through  him  from  side  to  side.  He  sent  for  me  to 
confess  him,  and  I  had  myself,  therefore,  carried 
thither  to  the  camp.  We  at  first  thought  his  wound 
was  not  mortal,  but  were  very  shortly  undeceived,  for 
he  died  the  next  day. 

We  had,  just  before  this,  received  news  of  the 
"  Poli,"  and  learned  that  this  ship  was  in  no  less  dan- 
ger than  our  own.  The  vinds,  the  shallows,  and  the 
ice  had  all  been  obstacles  in  its  way.  At  one  time, 
while  aground,  it  received  a  severe  shock  in  its  keel. 
Four  pumps  were  not  sufficient  to  discharge  the 
water  which  flowed  in,  and  many  barrels  of  flour  were 
wet  in  clearing  the  ship.  It  was  not  yet  relieved,  and 
there  was  danger  of  its  never  being  able  to  reach  the 
place  where  it  ought  to  winter. 

So  much  sad  intelligence  did  not  in  any  way  damp 
the  courage  of  M.  d'Iberville.  He  was  deeply  touched 
by  the  death  of  his  brother,  whom  he  had  always  ten- 
derly loved ;  but  he  made  it  a  sacrifice  to  God,  in 
whom  he  wished  tc  place  all  his  confidence.  For, 
seeing  that  the  least  sign  of  inquietude  which  might 
appear  on  his  countenance  would  throw  all  into  con- 
sternation, he  always  sustained  himself  with  wonder- 
ful firmness  ;  giving  everybody  something  to  do,  active 
himself,  and  sending  fonh  his  orders  with  the  same 
presence  of  mind  as  ever.     But  on  the  same  day  God 


II 


RH" 


Hi 


;.      I 


n 


242 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


consoled  him.  The  very  same  tide  placed  both  ves- 
sels out  of  danger,  and  conducted  each  one  to  the 
place  which  had  been  marked  out  for  it. 

On  the  5th,  I  baptized  two  infant  children  of  one 
of  the  Indians.  They  had  been  ill  for  a  long  time, 
and  I  now  judged  they  were  in  danger.  I  was  the 
more  urgent  to  baptize  them,  because  the  next  day 
the  Indians  were  to  depart,  to  spend  the  winter  in  the 
forests  at  a  distance  from  us.  But,  before  I  baptized 
them,  I  obtained  from  the  father  a  promise  that,  if 
they  recovered,  he  would  bring  them  back  to  me  in 
the  Spring  to  be  instructed.  They  were  both  children 
of  the  same  father,  but  of  different  mothers,  polyga- 
my being  customary  among  the  Indians  in  this  coun- 
try. One  of  the  two  afterwards  died  ;  and  the  father 
brought  back  the  survivor  to  me  in  the  following 
Spring,  as  he  had  promised.  For  some  time  after- 
wards we  were  busy  in  building  huts  for  ourselves,  in 
unloading  the  vessel,  and  in  preparing  for  the  siege. 

On  the  9th  I  departed,  to  return  to  the  "  Poli," 
where  M.  de  Tilly,  a  heutenant,  had  been  dangerously 
ill  for  several  days.  It  was  the  first  journey  I  had 
made  through  an  American  forest.  The  ground  over 
which  we  passed  was  very  marshy,  and  we  were 
obliged  to  take  circuitous  routes  to  avoid  the  swamps. 
The  water  had  begun  to  freeze  ;  but,  the  ice  not  yet 
being  sufficiently  strong  to  bear  our  weight,  we  often 
sank  in  half-way  up  the  leg.  We  made  thus  five 
leagues  on  the  snow  and  through  the  forests  (if,  in- 
deed, we  may  use  that  word,  for  in  this  country  they 
have  no  open  woods).      The  trees  are  mingled  in 


f,lS 


HUDSON  BA  Y  MISSION  A  R  Y, 


243 


some  places  with  thickets  and  brambles,  and  then 
again  in  others  they  are  interspersed  with  clear  sa- 
vannas. 

When  at  length  we  reached  the  banks  of  the  river 
Bourbon,  we  found  ourselves  very  much  embarrassed. 
The  ship  was  on  the  other  side,  and  the  river  in  this 
place  a  league  and  a  half  wide,  very  rapid,  and  at  that 
time  filled  with  floating  ice.  Those  who  had  accom- 
panied me  judged  the  passage  impracticable,  and  I 
had  some  difficulty  in  overcoming  their  opposition. 
But,  a  little  while  after,  the  river  became  clear,  the  ice 
having  drifted  away  with  the  falling  of  the  tide.  We 
therefore  embarked  immediately,  after  having  carried 
our  canoe  over  the  ice  which  had  formed  along  the 
banks  of  the  river.  We  set  out  at  sunset,  and  arrived 
in  safety  at  the  beginning  of  the  night. 

We  found  the  ship  in  a  safe  and  commodious  place, 
and  the  crew  beginning  to  recover  from  their  past 
fatigues.  I  saw  the  sick  man  to  whom  I  administered 
the  consolations  of  our  faith ;  receiving  his  confession 
the  next  day,  and  giving  him  the  Sacrament.  After 
dinner,  I  went  to  visit  our  Canadians  and  sailors,  who 
had  established  themselves  in  huts  on  shore.  On  my 
return,  they  informed  me  that  the  passage  of  the  river 
was  again  practicable  ;  and  I  immediately  embarked, 
as  I  had  promised  to  return  without  delay,  on  account 
of  the  expected  attack  on  the  fort.  Reaching  the 
other  side  very  late,  we  put  up  a  hut  in  which  to  pass 
the  night.  We  had  built  it  with  much  carelessness,  as 
we  trusted  to  the  clearness  of  the  sky,  —  an  oversight 
of  which  we  had  cause  afterwards  to  repent,  as  we 


244 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


In  I 


ilu! 


ill 


were,  during  three  hours,  exposed  to  a  heavy  fall  of 
snovfr. 

On  the  I  ith  we  reached  our  camp,  where  every  thing 
was  in  readiness  for  the  siege.  They  had  made 
through  the  woods  an  excellent  road  on  which  to 
transport  their  cannon,  the  mortars  and  bombs.  On 
the  1 2th,  they  fixed  their  mortars  ;  and  on  the  13th, 
as  they  were  ready  to  open  on  the  fort,  they  sent  to 
summon  the  enemy  to  capitulate,  offering  them  favor- 
able terms  if  they  would  surrender  immediately.  They 
asked  until  eight  o'clock  the  next  morning  to  give 
their  answer,  and  requested  that  we  would  not  disturb 
them  during  the  night  about  the  fort.  Thi«  was  ac- 
cordingly granted  them.  The  next  morning,  at  the 
hour  appointed,  they  brought  forward  their  conditions, 
which  were  at  once  assented  to,  for  they  did  not  even 
demand  to  retain  their  arms  or  tents.  Their  chaplain 
had  given  the  terms  of  capitulation  in  Latin,  and  I 
acted  as  interpreter  on  our  side.  The  English  had 
been  seized  with  fear  on  our  first  arrival,  and  from 
that  time  had  kept  themselves  entirely  shut  up,  with- 
o;it  even  daring  to  go  out  at  night  to  procure  water 
from  the  river,  which  flowed  at  the  base  of  the  fort. 

The  same  day,  M.  d'Iberville  sent  his  lieutenant, 
M.  du  Tas,  to  take  possession.  He  went  thither  him- 
self on  the  morrow,  —  the  Festival  of  St.  Th6r6se,  — 
and  named  it  Fort  Bourbon.  The  same  day,  I  cele- 
brated the  mass  there,  and  chanted  the  Te  Deum. 
The  fort  was  only  of  wood,  both  smaller  and  weaker 
than  we  had  supposed  ;  and  the  -booty  we  gained  was 
also  much  less  than  we  had  hoped  for.     The  English 


^1 


HUDSON  BAY  MISSIONARY. 


245 


were  fifty-three  in  number,  all  large  men,  and  well 
made  ;  but  those  who  commanded  them  were  much 
more  skilful  in  commerce  than  in  the  profession  of 
arms,  in  which  they  had  never  been  exercised.  It 
was  for  this  reason  that  they  surrendered  so  easily. 
In  all  these  things,  we  could  not  but  admire  the  won- 
derful arrangement  of  Divine  Providence.  On  enter- 
ing the  river  of  St.  Ther^se,  we  had  with  confidence 
invoked  the  protection  of  the  holy  Saint  whose  name 
the  river  bore  ;  and  God  arranged  every  thing  in  such 
a  manner  that,  on  the  very  day  of  the  Festival  of  the 
same  Saint,  we  should  obtain  possession  of  the  fort, 
which  renders  us  masters  of  the  navigation,  and  all 
the  commerce,  of  the  great  river. 

The  same  day,  I  thought  it  well  to  return  on  a  visit 
to  M.  de  Tilly,  whom  I  had  left  very  ill.  X  set  out, 
therefore,  after  dinner,  and  reached  the  banks  of  the 
river  Bourbon,  but  found  the  crossing  absolutely  im- 
practicable. We  therefore  erected  our  hut,  and  spent 
the  whole  night  there.  The  next  day,  the  river 
being  no  better,  we  made  on  the  banks  fires,  which 
sent  up  high  columns  of  smoke,  this  being  the  signal 
agreed  on  to  announce  the  capture  of  the  fort.  They 
replied  by  similar  signals,  and  we  returned  to  the 
fort.  Three  days  afterwards,  —  that  is  to  say,  on  the 
i8th  of  October,  —  I  joined  M.  de  Caumont,  a  brother 
of  M.  de  Tilly,  and  two  other  persons,  their  relatives, 
together  with  a  Canadian,  in  an  attempt  to  pass  over 
together  to  the  "  Poli."  We  again  found  the  river  in 
a  very  bad  state,  and  the  next  day  it  was  no  better. 
Nevertheless,  we   determined    to   risk    the    passage, 


\ 


¥ 


246 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


which  was  not  accomplished  without  great  danger, 
but  at  last  we  arrived  safely.  I  did  not  again  leave 
the  sick  man  until  the  28th,  which  was  the  day  of  his 
death.  After  the  funeral  services  were  over,  I  wished 
to  return  to  the  fort  to  celebrate  the  Festival  of  All- 
Saints,  but  was  unable  to  pass  the  river  until  All- 
Souls  Day.^  We  lost  our  way  that  night  in  the 
woods,  and,  after  wandering  for  a  long  time,  found 
ourselves  in  the  place  from  which  we  set  out.  There 
we  passed  the  night,  and  reached  the  fort  on  the  3d 
of  November.  I  have  since  often  made  these  little 
journeys ;  for  disease,  and  particularly  the  scurvy, 
having  spread  among  our  crew,  I  was  constantly 
obliged  to  go  from  the  fort  to  the  "  Poli,"  and  from 
the  "  Poli  "  to  the  fort,  to  assist  the  sick.  I  had  my- 
self some  slight  attacks  of  the  scurvy  ;  but  the  exer- 
cise I  was  obliged  to  take,  in  aiding  here  and  there 
those  who  were  in  some  danger,  dissipated  what  I  be- 
lieve to  have  been  the  commencement  of  the  malady. 

At  the  beginning  of  October,  the  river  St.  Ther^se 
was  entirely  closed  by  ice,  three  or  four  leagues  above 
the  fort,  where  there  are  some  islands,  which  render 
the  channel  very  narrow  ;  but  we  did  not  begin  pass- 
ing over  on  it,  opposite  to  the  fort,  until  the  13th  of 
November.  The  river  Bourbon  was  not  entirely  closed 
until  the  night  of  Jan.  23,  1695.  After  this,  we  were 
able  to  pass  over  to  the  "  Poli "  on  the  ice,  which  very 
much  shortened  our  journey.  The  ice  commenced 
breaking  up  in  the  river  St.  Ther^se  on  the  30th  of 

'  In  the  Roman  calendar,  All-Saints  Day  is  Nov.  i ;  and  AH' 
Souls  Day,  the  day  after,  Nov.  2.  —  Trans. 


HUDSON  BAY  MISSIONARY. 


247 


All- 


May,  but,  in  the  river  Bourbon,  not  until  the  nth 
of  June.  On  the  30th  of  July,  we  embarked  to  go 
with  one  or  two  ships  to  the  roadstead  at  the  mouth 
of  the  river  St.  Th^r^se,  to  riwait  the  arrival  of  the 
English  ships,  which  are  accustomed  to  come  there  at 
that  season.  However,  we  waited  for  them  in  vain,' 
for  none  ever  appeared. 

I  had  undertaken,  on  my  arrival,  to  learn  the  lan- 
guage of  the  Indians,  and  for  this  purpose  wished  to 
avail  myself  of  the  services  of  two  of  them,  who  had 
remained  during  the  winter  in  a  hut  near  the  fort. 
But  my  frequent  excursions  from  one  river  to  the 
other  were  a  great  hindrance,  besides  which  the  man 
was  a  slave  from  another  nation,  and  only  imperfectly 
knew  iheir  language  ;  while  his  wife,  who  had  a  thor- 
ough hatred  of  the  French,  never  spoke  to  me  except 
in  waywardness,  and  often  purposely  deceived  me. 
Nevertheless,  the  visits  which  I  made  them  had  one 
good  effect :  I  had  gained  the  confidence  of  this  poor 
man,  and  began  to  instruct  him  as  far  as  was  in  my 
power,  when  he  fell  sick.  He  then  wished  for  bap- 
tism, which  I  had  the  satisfaction  of  administering  to 
him  before  his  death. 

With  regard  to  the  religion  they  profess,  it  is,  I 
believe,  the  same  as  that  of  other  Indians  ;  but  I  am 
not  as  yet  sufficiently  acquainted  with  it  to  speak  defi- 
nitely of  the  nature  of  their  idolatry.  I  know  that 
they  have  some  kind  of  sacrifices  ;  they  have  grand 
jugglers,  and,  like  other  Indians,  a  custom  of  the  pipe, 
which  they  call  calumet.  They  are  accustomed  to 
smoke  with  regard   to  the  sun  and  absent  persons, 


248 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


and  sometimes  with  reference  to  our  fort  and  our 
ship.  Nevertheless,  I  am  able  to  say  nothing  certain 
with  regard  to  their  ideas  of  the  Divinity,  not  having 
been  able  to  comprehend  them.  I  can  only  add  that 
they  are  extremely  superstitious,  very  depraved  ;  that 
they  live  in  the  practice  of  polygamy,  and  in  an  es- 
trangement as  great  as  possible  from  any  thing  like 
Christianity. 

Thus  you  perceive,  my  Reverend  Father,  that  it 
will  be  very  difficult  to  establish  our  faith  among  this 
people.  I  think  that,  if  we  wish  to  make  any  pro- 
gress, it  will  be  necessary  to  commence  with  the 
Krigs  and  the  Assiniboels.  Besides  other  considera- 
tions, these  Indians  are  very  numerous.  They  seem 
to  me  not  so  far  removed  as  the  rest  from  all  ideas  of 
religion  ;  they  have  more  spirit,  and  are  settled  during 
at  least  three  or  four  months  of  the  year.  Jt  would, 
therefore,  be  more  easy  to  form  a  mission  in  their 
country.  I  am,  indeed,  truly  sensible  of  the  difficul- 
ties in  the  way  of  its  establishment.  In  truth,  I 
doubt  whether  our  first  Fathers,  in  their  earliest  mis- 
sions in  Canada,  encountered  as  many  as  seem  here 
to  threaten.  But  we  must  not  be  deterred  by  these 
things.  God  will  take  care  of  us ;  and  I  trust  that 
the  more  of  pain  and  toil  these  missions  seem  to 
promise,  so  much  the  more  will  missionaries  be  found 
who  will  offer  themselves  to  God  to  be  his  messengers 
there. 

I  do  not  as  yet  speak  the  language  of  the  Indians 
very  well ;  but  nevertheless  none  of  them  have  come 
to  the  fort  to  whom  I  have  not  spoken  of  God.     I 


HUDSON  BAY  MISSIONARY. 


249 


have  an  inward  pleasure  in  declaring  to  these  poor 
people  what  they  have  never  before  heard  announced. 
Many  have  heard  me  willingly ;  and  they  have  thus 
learned,  at  least,  that  I  have  come  among  them  with 
a  different  object  from  the  rest  of  the  French.  I 
have  told  them  that  I  came  to  their  country  to  make 
them  acquainted  with  the  God  whom  I  worshipped, 
and  they  seemed  to  receive  the  declaration  with  joy, 
and  invited  me  to  visit  them.  I  find  much  greater 
difficulty  in  understanding  the  Indians  than  in  speak- 
ing to  them  ;  for  I  am  already,  indeed,  acquainted 
with  the  greater  part  of  their  words.  M.  de  la  Motte 
has  been  of  great  assistance  to  me ;  and  an  English- 
man, who  knows  the  language  very  well,  has  aided 
me  still  more.  I  have  made  a  dictionary  of  all  their 
words,  arranged  alphabetically  ;  and,  considering  how 
little  I  have  been  with  the  Indians,  I  think  that  I 
begin  to  speak  easily,  and  to  understand  their  lan- 
guage. I  have  translated  directions  for  making  the 
sign  of  the  cross,  the  Pater,  the  Ave,  the  Credo,  and 
the  Commandments  of  God.  I  have  baptized  only 
two  adults  among  the  Indians,  who  both  died  shortly 
afterwards.  I  have  also  baptized  three  infants,  two 
of  whom  have  since  been  taken  to  heaven.  If  I  had 
been  able  to  mix  more  with  the  Indians,  I  should  have 
effected  more. 

In  the  beginning  of  September,  1695,  our  two  ships 
departed  on  their  return.  As  it  seemed  probable  that 
they  would  go  direct  to  France,  I  preferred  remaining 
in  the  fort  with  the  forty-five  men  whom  they  left 
there  in  garrison,  and  who  otherwise  would  have  had 
II* 


250 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


no  chaplain.  I  was  persuaded,  too,  that,  having  more 
leisure  after  the  departure  of  the  ships,  I  should  be 
able  to  learn  the  language  of  the  Indians  perfectly, 
and  thus  qualify  myself  to  begin  a  mission.  God, 
however,  did  not  judge  me  to  be  worthy :  the  English 
came  to  besiege  us,  and  we  were  taken  prisoners.  I 
have  already  told  you,  on  my  return  to  France,  the 
story,  with  the  history  of  our  imprisonment.  It  would 
therefore  be  useless  to  repeat  it  here.     I  am,  &c. 


ifii; 


EXPLORATIONS  IN  THE  DELTA, 


XL 


EXPLORATIONS    IN    THE   DELTA. 

1712. 

[At  the  beginning  of  the  last  century,  the  Abbd  Sicard  was  one 
of  the  most  distinguished  antiquarians  and  scholars  in  Europe. 
Cairo  being  the  scene  of  his  mission,  he  devoted  himself  par- 
ticularly to  investigations  relating  to  the  monuments  and  past 
history  of  Egypt.  Several  of  his  expeditions  were  undertaken 
by  direction  of  the  royal  family  of  France.  Such  was  the  one 
the  narrative  of  which  we  have  translated,  —  his  explorations 
among  the  mouldering  relics  of  the  old  monasteries  of  the 
Delta. 

An  earnest  member  of  the  Church  of  Rome,  he  never  lost  an 
opportunity,  as  will  be  seen  by  his  narrative,  to  inculcate  his 
doctrines  on  the  heretical  Copts,  in  the  attempt  to  win  them  back 
to  the  fold. 

The  Abb^  died  in  1726,  aged  49  years,  leaWng  behind  him  the 
results  of  extensive  studies  among  the  ruins  of  Egypt,  particu- 
larly labored  investigations  with  regard  to  the  passage  of  the 
Israelites  over  the  Red  Sea.  As  a  matter  of  Biblical  inquiry, 
his  essays  on  this  point  probably  exhaust  the  subject.] 


Letter  of  Father  Sicard^  Missionary  in  Egypt,  to 
his  Royal  Highness,  the  Count  of  Toulouse. 

MoNSEiGNEUR,  —  We  learn  with  much  pleasure 
and  gratitude  that  your  Serene  Highness  has  the 
goodness  to  take  an  interest  in  all  that  has  occurred 


252 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


in  these  Missions,  which  our  Society  has  established 
for  more  than  a  century  in  the  different  countries  of 
the  Levant. 

As  nothing  is  more  necessary  for  a  missionary  in 
Egypt  than  to  be  well  acquainted  with  the  views  of 
the  Copts,  in  order  to  refute  them,  and  to  know  their 
habits,  to  correct  them,  after  having  been  a  long  time 
engaged  in  the  Mission  with  those  who  are  living  in 
Cairo,  I  have  thought  it  proper  to  visit  the  Copts  in 
the  country,  to  become  better  acquainted  with  all  that 
concerns  them,  and  by  this  means  to  win  their  confi- 
dence and  labor  .  aore  effectually  for  their  instruction 
and  conversion. 

To  carry  out  my  plan,  I  embarked  on  the  Nile  at 
Boulacq,  on  the  5  th  of  December,  171 2,  at  one  o'clock 
in  the  afternoon,  accompanied  by  a  Coptic  monk,  the 
priest  and  Superior  of  St.  Macarius.  At  midnight  we 
arrived  at  Oiiardan,  a  little  village  on  the  western 
bank  of  the  branch  of  the  Nile  which  flows  down  to 
Rosetta.  Not  finding  there  any  house  of  Christians 
in  which  we  could  be  received,  we  were  obliged  to  pass 
the  rest  of  the  night  in  a  public  place,  exposed  to  the 
air,  which  was  exceedingly  cold.  We  left  this  mis- 
erable resting-place  at  break  of  day,  to  go  to  Etris, 
another  village,  half  a  league  distant  from  Oiiardan. 
There  we  found  a  Hospicr  intc  '      ♦ihe  iiermits 

of  the  Desert,  which  is  i' 

The  night  following  epherds  and 

husbandmen  had  retir  their    lome^,  I  assembled, 

by  the  light  of  the  moon,  all  tht  Coptic  men  and  chil- 
dren, to  give  them  some  instruction.     I  found    hese 


if 


1 4 


EXPLORATIONS  IN  THE  DELTA. 


253 


Ind 
led, 

jse 


good  people,  famishing  for  the  word  of  God,  because 
they  heard  it  so  rarely.  Their  Patriarch,  it  is  true, 
has  sent  them  members  of  the  religious  orders  to  be 
their  Cures,  but  these  pastors  were  of  the  number  of 
whom  Ezekiel  speaks,  who  took  great  care  of  them- 
selves, but  did  not  feed  the  flock. ^ 

I  wished  to  begin  my  catechising  by  causing  them 
to  recite  the  Pater  to  the  children,  but  it  was  with  dif- 
ficulty I  could  find  any  one  who  knew  it,  still  less  who 
was  able  to  give  instruction  on  the  principles  of  our 
religion.  In  vain  I  questioned  the  greater  part.  The 
fathers  and  mothers  were  equally  ignorant  with  their 
children.  Most  of  them  had  lived,  even  to  that  day, 
without  having  approached  the  Sacraments  of  Pen- 
ance and  the  Eucharist.  I  spent  all  the  time  that 
I  was  able  to  be  with  them  in  reciting  the  Lord's 
Prayer,  in  their  language,  in  a  loud  voice.  All  re- 
peated it  after  me,  and  I  caused  them  to  do  so  until 
they  knew  it  by  heart.  I  then  explained  to  them  the 
principal  articles  of  our  belief.  They  heard  me  with 
the  greatest  docility,  and  I  charged  those  among  them 
who  were  best  instructed  to  repeat  in  their  homes 
what  I  had  taught  them. 

After  my  instruction,  many  among  them  requested 
me  to  receive  their  confession,  which  they  made  with 
feelings  which  afforded  me  true  consolation,  and  v/hich 
induced  me  to  promise  them  fuller  instructions  on  my 
return. 

The  next  day,  December  7th,  I  left  Etris  with  the 
Superior  of  St.  Macarius  and  a  monk  of  the  same 

•  Ezekiel  xxxiv.  8. 


h* 


-m:> 


t:ii 


V  i 


T?^ 


ri  [; 


11 


254 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


monastery,  who  had  come  to  make  collections  at  Cairo 
and  in  the  neighboring  villages.  The  good  monk  was 
well  contented  with  his  contributions,  for  he  carried 
back  to  the  monastery  ten  a.sses  loaded  with  provi- 
sions of  wheat,  rice,  lentils,  beans,  salt  fish,  wax,  and 
incense. 

After  having  travelled  with  them  for  one  hour 
through  a  rich  and  pleasant  country,  leaving  the  Nile 
at  the  east,  we  came  to  the  borders  of  the  sands  of  the 
Desert  of  Scete.  This  desert,  of  which  Palladius  and 
Xufin  have  given  a  description,  is  famous  through  the 
journeys  which  the  Saints  Paul  and  Melanius  made 
thither,  and  through  more  than  five  thousand  hermits, 
who  inhabited  it,  among  whom  were  the  holy  men 
Ammon,  Arsenius,  Moses  the  Black,  Effrem,  Appollo- 
nius,  Pambon,  Serapion,  Poemene,  Daniel,  and  John 
the  Little.  At  that  time  one  could  count  more  than 
a  hundred  monasteries  in  this  desert.  At  this  day 
there  remain  but  the  four  of  which  I  will  speak. 

The  desert  extends  from  east  ^.o  west  about  three 
days'  journey,  and  the  same  distance  from  north  to 
south.  It  is  a  vast  expanse  of  sand,  which  at  the  west 
and  south  has  no  other  boundary  than  the  sands  of 
Libya  and  of  the  Desert  of  Barca.  On  the  northern 
side  it  borders  on  the  Mountains  of  Nitria,  which  were 
formerly  inhabited  by  a  countless  number  of  hermits. 

Leaving  Etris  before  sunrise,  we  arrived,  a  little 
after  sunset,  at  the  first  of  the  four  monasteries  of 
which  I  have  spoken.  This  bears  the  name  of  the  old 
Macarius  ;  the  second  is  called  Notre-Dame  of  the 
Suriens  ;  the  third  is  the  Monastery  of  Saint  Bichoi, 


EXPLORATIONS  IN  THE  DELTA, 


255 


or  Abisay  ;  and  the  fourth  is  dedicated  to  the  Holy 
Virgin  of  Elbaramous,  or  of  the  Greeks. 

The  first  monastery  is  distant  from  the  Nile  one 
day's  journey ;  the  second  is  one  and  a  half  days' 
journey  from  the  first ;  the  third  is  but  the  distance 
of  two  gunshots  from  the  second  ;  and  the  fourth, 
leaving  the  Nile  and  advancing  towards  the  west,  is  a 
half  day's  journey  from  the  second  and  the  third,  and 
twenty-five  01  thirty  leagues  from  the  Mediterranean 
Sea  and  Alexandria,  towards  the  north. 

These  four  monasteries  have  all  large  square  en- 
closures, very  much  alike,  more  than  a  hundred  paces 
in  length,  and  a  little  less  in  breadth,  surrounded  by 
high  thick  walls,  with  a  parapet  breast-high.  Each 
monastery  has  a  tower,  higher  by  one  half  then  the 
walls  of  the  enclosure.  In  each  tower  there  is  a 
chapel  dedicated  to  Saint  Michel,  many  chambers  full 
of  provisions,  a  library  which  contains  three  or  four 
chests  full  of  old  Arabic  and  Coptic  manuscripts 
covered  with  dust,  a  well  of  good  water,  a  mill,  an  oven, 
and  a  drawbridge.  The  door  of  each  monastery  is  of 
wood,  low,  thick,  covered  with  plates  of  iron,  and  com- 
manded by  the  tower.  In  each  monastery  we  see  the 
ruins  of  two  or  three  churches,  of  many  dormitories, 
and  of  a  very  great  number  of  cells,  some  of  which 
still  remain  with  the  offices.  The  tower  serves  for 
donjon  and  place  of  retreat  for  the  poor  monks  in  an 
irruption  of  the  Arabs,  who  cannot  penetrate  into  the 
tower  as  easily  as  they  might  procure  admission  by 
force  or  stratagem  into  the  lower  part  of  the  enclosure 
of  the  monastery. 


i 


111 


256 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


•fi 


M 


The  Monastery  of  Saint  Macarius,  to  which  I  am 
referring,  is  inhabited  by  one  monk,  who  is  a  priest, 
who  accompanied  me,  and  whose  particular  ■''  Xy  was 
frequently  to  go  out  and  make  collections  ;  one  porter, 
also  a  monk;  and  two  lay  deacons.  These  constitute 
the  whole  community  of  this  once  famous  monastery. 

lixe  Monastic  Fraternity  of  Saint  Bichoi  is  only 
composed  of  four  monks,  while  the  two  others  have 
from  twelve  to  fifteen.  All  are  not  priests,  and  there 
are  even  among  them  some  laymen,  whom  they  have 
admitted  there  by  order  of  the  Coptic  Patriarch. 
Their  food  and  their  habits  are  conformed  to  those  of 
the  people  of  the  country.  They  say  Mass  on  every 
Sunday,  and  on  every  Wednesday  and  Friday  of  the 
four  fasts  of  the  year.  They  spend  many  hours  of 
the  day  and  the  night  in  the  choir ;  during  others 
they  work,  and  all  in  obedience  to  one  Superior,  who 
is  a  priest.  The  order  of  the  Superior,  under  whose 
direction  they  are,  is  their  principal  rule. 

I  was  very  much  edified  in  seeing  these  solitaries, 
every  evening  after  their  service,  and  before  they  re- 
turned to  their  cells,  prostrate  themselves  at  the  feet 
of  their  Superior  to  confess  their  faults,  to  ask  abso- 
lution of  him,  and  to  receive  his  blessing.  We  may 
well  acknowledge  that  these  monks  are  good  people, 
even  with  their  heresy.  They  are  Copts  ;  that  is  to 
say,  disciples  of  Dioscorus,  who  was  condemned  by 
the  Fourth  General  Council.^ 

1  Dioscorus,  Patriarch  of  Alexandria,  was  one  of  the  most  zealous 
adherents  of  Eutychus.  He  held,  with  him,  that  there  was  but  one 
nature  in  Jesus  Christ,  and  caused  this  heresy  to  be  approved  in  the 
Council,  which  was  called  "  the  Assembly  of  Robbers.  ' 


EXPLORATIONS  IN  THE  DELTA, 


257 


This  Monastery  of  Saint  Macarius  encloses  two 
churches,  —  one  small,  and  in  good  preservation,  dedi- 
cated to  Saint  Macarius,  who  gives  the  name  to  the 
monastery  and  to  the  whole  desert ;  the  other,  which 
is  much  larger  and  half  ruined,  is  dedicated  to  Saint 
John.  There  still  remain  five  domes,  of  the  Gothic 
order,  sustained  by  twenty-one  columns  of  marble, 
and  five  altars.  These  two  churches,  like  all  others 
of  the  Copts,  have  behind  their  sacristies  an  oven, 
made  expressly  to  bake  the  bread  destined  for  the 
Sacrifice ;  for  it  is  an  inviolable  custom  among  these 
people  to  use  no  bread  but  what  is  leavened  and  per- 
fectly fresh.  When  their  priests  are  about  to  say 
Mass,  they  bake  the  same  day  a  basket  full  of  little 
loaves,  white,  round,  flat  on  the  top  and  convex  at  the 
bottom,  and  as  large  as  the  palm  of  the  hand.  One 
only  of  these  loaves  is  destined  for  the  altar ;  and  the 
others  are  distributed,  after  the  Mass,  among  the 
monks  and   principal  assistants. 

The  Copts  have  another  custom  among  them,  which 
is  to  have  in  all  their  churches  a  large  cist*"  n,  square 
and  deep,  which  they  fill  with  water  every  year,  to  use 
in  the  ceremony  of  the  famous  bath  which  they  call 
Gothas,  I  saw,  indeed,  these  two  large  cisterns  in  the 
two  churches  to  which  I  am  referring.  In  that  of 
Saint  John  the  Baptist,  they  pointed  out  to  my  notice 
a  chapel  by  the  name  of  Saint  Apollinaire,  daughter 
of  Anthemius,  consul  in  the  reign  of  Arcadius,  who 
made,  it  is  said,  her  profession  in  this  monastery,  dis- 
guised as  a  man.  Bollandus  writes  the  history  of  it, 
in  the  Callender,  under  the  date  of  January  5  th.     The 

Q 


I  I 


258 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


Copts  believe  she  was  the  daughter  of  the  Emperor 
Zeno ;  but  they  are  mistaken  in  this  matter,  as  they 
are  in  many  others. 

In  the  choir  of  the  Church  of  St.  Macarius  they 
showed  me  four  Httle  coffins,  in  which  repose,  say  the 
Copts,  the  bones  of  Saint  Macarius  and  of  Saint  John 
the  Little.  One  of  these  Macariuses  is  the  one  of 
Egypt,  surnamed  the  Old,  the  disciple  of  Saint  An- 
thony, and  the  author  of  fifty  homilies  in  Greek  ;  the 
other  is  the  one  from  Alexandria,  surnamed  the 
Young.  These  two,  of  the  name  of  Macarius,  have 
been  monks,  or  abbots,  one  after  the  other,  in  these 
monasteries  of  the  desert.  Palladius  relates  of  the 
first,  that,  a  man  being  falsely  accused  of  having  as- 
sassinated another,  the  Holy  Anchorite  restored  the 
dead  to  life,  to  enable  him  to  declare  which  was  his 
assassin,  and  thus  justify  the  innocent. 

The  same  Palladius,  who  had  lived  for  some  time 
with  these  two  holy  hermits,  declares  that  he  had  been 
eye-witness  of  their  power  in  prayer,  their  rigorous 
penitence,  and  their  charity  to  strangers.  He  relates 
particularly  the  wonderful  conversions  which  God 
had  effected  through  their  agency. 

He  relates,  among  other  things,  that  these  two  holy 
men,  having  gone  to  visit  some  of  their  brethren,  were 
received  into  a  boat  on  the  Nile,  on  which  were  many 
officers  of  rank,  with  their  equipages  ;  that  one  of 
ti:ose  officers,  seeing  them  sitting  in  a  corner  of  the 
boat,  and  dressed  in  mean  clothing,  said  to  them, 
"  You  are  very  happy,  my  friends,  to  enjoy  yourselves 
thus  in  a  world  of  which  you  have  no  need."     And 


EXPLORATIONS  IN  THE  DELTA. 


259 


the  two  holy  hermits  replied  to  him, "  You  are  right,  sir ; 
but  at  the  same  time  our  great  complaint  of  you  is,  that 
the  world  enjoys  so  much  of  you."  Palladius  adds, 
that  this  word  was  an  arrow  which  pierced  the  heart 
of  the  officer,  who,  immediately  on  his  return  home, 
distributed  his  property  to  the  poor,  and  went  to  pass 
the  rest  of  his  days  in  the  Desert  of  Nitria,  where  he 
died  in  sanctity. 

The  Church  has  enrolled  these  two  distinguished 
servants  of  God  in  the  number  of  its  saints.  With 
regard  to  him  who  is  called  the  Third  Macarius,  and 
whom  they  state  to  have  been  a  Bishop,  we  have 
every  reason  to  believe  that  he  was  one  of  the  asso- 
ciates or  one  of  the  disciples  of  Dioscorus.  Perhaps 
he  was  that  monothelite  Patriarch  of  Alexandria,  de- 
posed by  the  Sixth  General  Council,  and  not  that  holy 
Bishop  of  Jerusalem  who  assisted  at  the  Council  of 
Nice.  It  is  certain,  however,  that  it  is  never  well  to 
rely  much  on  the  opinions  of  the  Copts,  and  still  less 
on  their  relics,  which  are  in  the  care  of  those  who  are 
heretical  and  ignorant. 

I  left  the  Monastery  of  Saint  Macarius  at  nine 
o'clock  in  the  morning,  with  the  Superior,  who  from 
friendship  continued  to  accompany  me.  Scarcely  had 
we  gone  two  hundred  paces  beyond  the  gate,  than  I 
found  myself  among  the  ruins  of  many  edifices,  the 
foundations  of  which,  and  the  portions  of  the  wall  still 
remaining,  showed  their  plan  and  former  greatness. 
I  asked  of  my  companion  an  explanation  of  what  I 
saw.  "  I  am  going  to  give  it  to  you,"  said  he.  "  For- 
merly, in  this  Desert  of  Scete,  and  on  the  Mountain 


-  Ni 


f-  h 


■  I 


il    Hi 


260 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


of  Nitria,  which  you  see  bounding  the  horizon  on  the 
northern  side,  one  could  have  counted  as  many  mon- 
asteries as  there  are  days  in  the  year.  These  dif- 
ferent ruins  are  some  remains  of  them ;  and  those 
which  are  under  your  feet  bear,  even  to  the  present 
time,  the  name  of  the  Castle  of  the  Virgins,  because 
it  was  there  that  some  persons  of  that  sex  lived  who 
had  embraced  the  monastic  life."  When  I  showed 
my  surprise  at  the  multitude  of  dwellings  of  the 
monks,  he  added,  "  Let  us  continue  our  journey,  and 
you  will  see  many  other  things."  In  fact,  after  hav- 
ing travelled  about  three  or  four  hours,  we  had  a  view 
of  more  than  fifty  monasteries,  entirely  distinct  the 
one  from  the  other,  but  ruined  and  almost  fallen  down. 
"  These,"  he  continued,  "  are  only  a  part  of  the  ruins 
of  a  very  great  number  of  monuments  which  the  piety 
of  the  faithful  had  erected  in  these  retreats  of  peni- 
tence. Look  at  that  tree,  called  the  *  Tree  of  Obedi- 
ence,' which  for  twelve  centuries  has  survived  the  in- 
fluence of  the  seasons  and  the  attacks  of  beasts  and 
Arabs.  It  was  originally  only  a  dry  stick,  driven  into 
the  barren  and  burning  sand  by  the  Abbe  Poemen. 
He  one  day  directed  the  celebrated  John  the  Little  to 
water  it  every  day.  The  obedient  monk  during  two 
years  followed  the  direction  of  his  Superior.  God,  to 
recompense  the  persevering  obedience  of  His  servant, 
permitted  this  stick  to  take  root  and  throw  out 
branches  and  leaves  as  beautiful  as  those  you  see. 
It  is  in  memory  of  this  miracle  that  the  tree  bears  the 
name  of  the  Virtue  of  Obedience."  I  admired  the 
tree,  loaded  in  fact  with  beauiiful  leaves,  and  which 
every  year  bore  a  great  abundance  of  fruit. 


EXPLORATIONS  IN  THE  DELTA. 


We  travelled  in  the  same  way  over  the  Road  of  the 
Angels.  This  is  the  name  the  Christians  have  given 
to  a  long  road  having  little  heaps  of  stones,  distant 
but  a  single  step  from  each  other,  stretching  from  the 
south  to  the  north  for  a  space  of  many  days'  journey. 
This  work,  which  they  ascribe  to  the  agency  of  Heav- 
enly Spirits,  but  which  might  have  been  made  by  the 
hand  of  man,  formerly  served  to  guide  the  steps  of 
the  anchorites,  when  they  went  from  their  caves  to 
the  churches,  or  returned  again  to  their  cells.  It  was 
necessary,  because  the  drifting  sand  of  these  vast 
plains  does  not  allow  any  footpath  or  trace  to  be  dis- 
tinguished. It  is  true  there  are  from  time  to  time  little 
hills  or  eminences  which  might,  it  would  seem,  serve 
as  a  guide  to  the  traveller  ;  but  their  similarity  makes 
them  easily  mistaken. 

My  companion  drew  my  attention  to  one  of  these 
hillocks,  at  the  foot  of  which  we  were  passing.  "  See," 
said  he,  "  the  column  of  the  devils.  They  call  it  so, 
because  there  the  enemies  of  the  hermits  placed 
themselves  in  ambush  to  insult  the  servants  of  God, 
and  to  endeavor  to  mislead  them."  This  remark 
showed  me  the  conformity  of  tradition  to  the  history 
which  we  have  of  these  anchorites. 

A  little  after  mid-day  we  reached  the  Monastery  of 
Notre-Dame  of  the  Suriens.  This  monastery  is  the 
finest  of  the  four.  It  has  a  very  pleasant  garden,  and 
a  draw-well  which  waters  it,  a  great  number  of  trees 
of  different  kinds,  the  tamarisk  ^  and  date  trees,  and  a 
large  and  ancient  tamarind,  which  they  say  took  root 
from  a  dry  stick  planted  by  Saint  Ephraim. 

1  This  is  the  only  tree  of  this  kind  that  I  have  seen  in  Egypt. 


ft-  »t 


262 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


V There  are  in  this  monastery  three  churches,  still  in 
good  preservation.  The  first  is  dedicated  to  the  Holy 
Virgin,  the  protectress  of  the  Suriens.  The  second 
church  bears  the  name  of  Saint  Anthony,  and  the 
third  of  their  patron  saint,  Victor  the  Martyr. 

The  Superior  of  the  Monastery,  having  been  notified 
of  our  arrival,  came  to  receive  us  with  great  demon- 
strations of  friendship.  He  first  conducted  us  to  the 
Church  of  the  Holy  Virgin,  to  perform  our  devotions. 
It  having  struck  twelve,  the  monks,  as  well  as  our- 
selves, were  still  fasting.  They  were  then  in  the  Fast 
which  precedes  Christmas.  During  this  Fast,  as  well 
as  in  the  others,  of  the  Apostles,  and  of  the  Holy  Vir- 
gin, and  of  that  which  precedes  the  Festival  of  Easter, 
they  neither  eat  nor  drink  any  thing  until  afternoon, 
except  on  Saturdays  and  Sundays,  when  they  are  al- 
lowed to  take  some  nourishment  in  the  morning.  I 
thought  it  necessary  to  conform  entirely  to  their  man- 
ner of  living,  for  the  purpose  of  gaining  their  confi- 
dence and  attachment.  This  I  did,  and  found  the 
benefit  of  it ;  for  the  conformity  of  my  life  to  theirs 
dissipated  that  natural  distrust  which  the  monks  and 
strange  priests  entertain,  and  by  degrees  I  found  my- 
self enabled  to  speak  with  them  on  all  their  spiritual 
needs,  as  soon  as  ^  'earned  them. 

Our  prayers  having  been  finished,  they  conducted 
me  to  the  Refectory.  The  Benedicite  having  been 
said,  they  served  to  us  a  large  bowl  filled  with  soup, 
made  from  lentils,  stuffed  with  bread.  This  single 
dish  comprised  all  our  meal.  While  we  were  at  table, 
there  was  a  reading,  which  was  composed  of  a  little 


EXPLORATIONS  IN  THE  DELTA. 


263 


the 

leirs 

and 

my- 

itual 


icted 
I  been 
joup, 
|ingle 
table, 
1  little 


collection  of  monastic  rules,  which  they  pretended 
were  given  by  the  Holy  Virgin  to  Saint  Macarius  the 
Younger.  The  meal  being  finished,  we  said  the  Pater 
in  Coptic.  This  prayer  alone  is  their  Benedicite  and 
their  ordinary  grace.  All  having  left  the  Refectory, 
those  who  were  thirsty  went  to  drink  from  the  bucket 
of  one  of  the  neighboring  wells. 

I  saw  in  their  kitchen  three  large  stone  pots,  which 
are  all  the  cooking  utensils  they  have.  They  answer 
the  purpose  very  well,  and  last  for  ages.  This  kind 
of  stone  is  called  barafn,  and  is  common  in  Upper 
Egypt. 

Since  we  are  speaking  of  the  grand  m^als  of  these 
good  monks,  I  will  add,  that,  in  the  evening,  they 
served  up  as  a  collation  for  us  a  little  plate  of  wild 
marjoram  pounded  up,  and  another  of  the  skins  of 
sugar-cane,  which  was  very  insipid.  They  gave  also 
sometimes,  to  vary  their  collation,  onions,  cut  up  or 
steeped  in  salt  water.  The  odor  of  this  is  detestable 
to  those  not  accustomed  to  it.  They  never  drink 
wine,  and  rarely  coffee.  They  lie  down  entirely 
clothed,  their  bed  being  formed  of  the  mats  spread  on 
the  floor.  We  must  acknowledge  that  the  life  of  these 
good  monks  is  very  frugal  and  austere;  but  the  re- 
markable fact  is  that  they  are  strong  and  robust,  large 
and  fat,  and  full  of  health.  In  thinking  of  the  austerity 
of  their  life,  I  could  not  but  deplore  their  misfortune  in 
being  born  in  schism  and  heresy,  in  which  they  are 
passing  their  lives.  At  the  same  time  I  compare 
their  hard  and  mortified  manner  of  life  with  that  of  a 
great  number  of   Catholics,  who,  so  thoroughly  en- 


264 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


lightened  that  they  are  the  luminaries  of  the  faith, 
nevertheless  pass  their  lives  in  continual  softness,  so 
contrary  to  the  spirit  of  the  Gospel,  which  is  our  only 
rule  of  action.  I  do  not  know  which  is  the  greatest 
evil,  that  of  those  or  of  these. 

Our  solitaries  divide  the  day  between  Psalmody 
and  working  with  their  hands.  They  seldom  go  be- 
yond the  bounds  of  their  monasteries.  Those  whose 
employment  obliges  them  to  do  so,  have  to  use  the 
greatest  precautions  to  avoid  falling  into  the  hands 
of  the  wandering  Arabs. 

These  Arabs  are  a  wild  race,  whose  avowed  busi- 
ness is  stealing  and  pillaging  wherever  they  go,  show- 
ing no  respect  to  any  one.  When  these  bandits  pass 
the  monastery,  they  knock  at  the  door,  which  the 
inmates  take  care  not  to  open  ;  but  they  send  down 
to  them  by  the  pulley  some  soup  of  bread  and  onions, 
with  water  to  drink,  and,  after  having  ate  and  drunk, 
they  go  away  contented. 

On  this  occasion,  I  will  mention  that,  during  my 
journey,  I  met  with  two  troops  of  these  land-pirates. 
Each  one  had  an  ass  laden  with  their  booty.  Their 
chief,  seeing  nothing  in  my  worn-out  dress  which 
could  gratify  his  avarice,  was  only  dazzled  by  the 
brilliancy  of  my  red  shoes,  which  had  cost  twelve 
sous,  and  are  the  ordinary  shoes  of  the  country  clergy. 
He  civilly  asked  me  for  them.  I  refused  them  to  him 
in  the  same  manner,  and  there  the  matter  rested. 
Another  one  asked  me  for  money.  "  I  have  none,"  I 
said  to  him.  "  Give  me  at  least,"  he  replied,  "  some 
good  ointment  for  a  wound  which  gives  me  a  great 


EXPLORATIONS  IN  THE  DELTA, 


265 


__  "    T 

Dne,    1 
*  some 
great 


deal  of  trouble."  This  I  willingly  gave  him  ;  where- 
upon all  the  company,  thinking  I  must  be  an  able 
physician,  explained  to  mc,  each  one  particularly,  their 
complaints,  and  asked  for  remedies.  I  gave  them  the 
benefit  of  all  my  knowledge,  and  it  was  not  difficult 
for  me  to  heal  them.  But,  after  this,  I  said  to  them 
that  they  had  one  malady  much  more  dangerous,  for 
which  they  did  not  think  to  ask  of  me  a  cure  ;  that 
this  malady  was  the  evil  disposition  which  led  them 
to  steal,  to  pillage  on  all  sides,  and  cornmit  many  other 
crimes  which  rendered  them  odious  to  God  and  man. 
Tiiese  crimes,  I  told  them,  would  cause  them  some 
day  to  be  condemned  by  their  Creator  to  eternal  fire, 
which  would  burn  in  hell  their  souls  and  bodies 
through  all  eternity.  They  listened  to  me  more  at- 
tentively than  I  had  reason  to  expect,  which  gave  me 
an  opportunity  t'^  exhort  them  to  change  their  lives, 
assuring  them  that  divine  Providence  would  provide 
their  support.  After  this  exhortation,  we  parted  from 
our  good  friends.  God  grant  that  the  words  which 
He  then  put  in  my  mouth  may  have  had  some  good 
effect ! 

I  will  return  now  to  our  monastery,  which  this 
digression  has  caused  me  to  leave.  The  ignorance 
which  retained  these  solitaries  in  their  schism  and 
heresy,  and  which  caused  them  to  lose  in  the  sight  of 
Heaven  the  merit  of  the  austerity  of  their  lives,  pierced 
me  to  the  heart.  The  hours  of  the  day  and  night  in 
which  they  were  free,  I  employed  in  speaking  to  them 
of  the  kingdom  of  God,  adapting  my  discourse  to  their 
taste  and  their  capacity.     I  told  them,  among  other 


12 


266 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


things,  that  it  would  be  a  great  benefit  to  them  to 
correct  the  false  idea  they  had  of  the  Franks  ;  that, 
although  myself  a  Frank,  I  was  no  less  a  Copt,  since 
that  name  signified  a  disciple  of  the  blessed  Atha- 
nasius  and  Cyril,  servants  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  rever- 
ential children  of  the  Holy  Church,  His  Spouse.  I 
asked  them  then  whether  they  did  not  admit  this  idea 
and  signification  of  the  name  of  Copt  which  they  bore. 
They  having  responded  in  the  affirmative,  I  added 
that  I  was  then  a  true  Copt,  and  more  of  a  Copt  than 
they ;  that  it  did  not  become  them  to  claim  to  be  dis- 
ciples of  Fathers  of  the  Church,  whose  works  they 
had  never  read  ;  thab  the  true  doctrines  of  these 
Fathers  had  been  altered  by  their  false  prophets  ; 
that  these  false  teachers  had  taught  them  errors,  as 
being  the  true  doctrines  of  the  Fathers  ;  that  they 
had  trusted  blindly  in  their  words,  without  examining 
whether  these  new  doctors  were  not,  as  the  parable 
in  the  Gospel  said,  the  enemies  of  man,  who  came  to 
sow  tares  among  the  good  grain.  I  continued  my 
discourse  by  telling  them  that,  touched  by  their  mis- 
fortunes, of  which  they  were  themselves  unconscious, 
I  had  hastened  to  their  succor,  as  a  good  brother. 

After  this  little  exhortation,  they  all  replied  to  me 
with  joy  painted  on  their  countenances,  and  with 
gestures  of  the  head  and  hands,  signifying  that  I  was 
most  welcome.  I  then  drew  from  my  pocket  my 
Arabic  Gospel,  and,  having  placed  it,  according  to 
custom  and  to  show  respect,  on  my  head  and  to  my 
lips,  I  presented  it  to  them,  as  if  my  intention  had 
been  that  they  should  exhibit  to  this  Holy  Book  the 


EXPLORATIONS  IN  THE  DELTA. 


267 


-t 


to  me 
with 
I  was 
my 
ing  to 
o  my 
n  had 
l)k  the 


same  marks  of  their  veneration.  They,  in  fact,  held 
out  their  hands  to  take  it  and  kiss  it  ;  but  I  suddenly 
drew  it  back  and  concealed  it  in  my  bosom,  reproach- 
ing them  that  they  were  unworthy  to  touch  so  holy  a 
volume,  which  contained  the  word  of  God,  and  which 
they,  nevertheless,  trod  under  their  feet,  by  violating, 
as  they  did,  the  divine  precepts  contained  in  it.  "  But 
know,"  I  said  to  them,  in  conclusion,  "that  the  finger 
of  God  has  graven  in  this  Book  the  eternal  sentence 
of  your  death." 

At  these  words,  which  impressed  them,  they  all 
cried  out,  "  Are  we,  then,  rebels  against  the  Gospel } " 
Then  I  drew  the  Holy  Book  from  my  bosom,  and, 
opening  it  at  the  page  I  had  prepared,  I  said  to  them, 
"  Listen  and  see.  Is  it  not  thus  written,  *  Judge  not, 
and  ye  shall  not  be  judged  '  .-*  By  what  criminal  bold- 
ness, then,  do  you  dare,  for  so  many  ages,  you  and 
your  fathers,  to  pronounce  an  anathema  against  all 
those  who  reverence  the  Couiicil  of  Chalcedon  .-*  Were 
Dioscorus  and  his  adherents  superior  to  the  divine 
Law  ?  These  men,  corrupters  of  the  Holy  Scriptures, 
have  had  the  temerity  and  the  hardihood  to  array 
themselves  against  them  ;  but  the  Church  punished 
their  boldness  by  erasing  their  names  from  the  num- 
ber of  its  children.  Do  they,  then,  to-day  merit  your 
confidence  more  than  the  holy  Chrysostom,  the  holy 
Basil,  and  the  other  doctors  of  the  Greek  Church, 
whom  God  has  sent  to  instruct  vou  in  His  holv  faith, 
and  to  defend  it  through  the  world  by  their  learned 
writings  ? 

"  What,  then,  do  you  pretend  that  your  fastings 


!  s: 


II 


PI- 


i'ln 


I 


w    " 


■  -M 


\-  'u 


li 


268 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


and  watchings  place  you  in  security  from  the  thunder- 
bolts of  the  Church  !  Are  you  ignorant  that,  without 
the  true  faith,  which  alone  constitutes  any  the  children 
of  God  and  joint  heirs  with  Jesus  Christ,  it  is  n  pos- 
sible to  please  the  Master  of  the  world,  or  Him  who 
shall  one  day  judge  the  living  and  the  dead?" 

The  more  I  saw  my  hearers  attentive  and  touched 
by  my  words,  the  more  I  elevated  my  voice  and  spoke 
in  a  firm  tone,  and  in  those  terms  in  which  I  knew  it 
was  necessary  to  address  them.  By  the  grace  of  God, 
I  did  this  so  forcibly  and  effectively  that  the  oldest 
and  most  esteemed  monk  of  the  desert,  named  Jean, 
arose  and  declared  publicly  that  v/hat  I  said  was  rea- 
sonable, and  that,  in  fact,  they  should  not  call  any 
heretics,  except  they  had  been  declared  such  by  the 
Catholic  ChMrch. 

All  applauded  the  good  old  man  ;  and  I  have 
learned  that  since  that  time  he  has  always  continued 
to  speak  and  preach  the  same  doctrine.  Behold  the 
seed  which,  during  some  days,  I  sowed  in  those  lands, 
which  for  so  long  a  time  had  been  lying  fallow,  full  of 
brambleij  and  thorns.  May  it  please  the  Divine  Good- 
ness to  cause  this  seed  to  germinate  and  produce  one 
day  an  abundant  harvest  ! 

The  desire  which  I  had  to  become  acquainted 
with  all  the  mysteries  of  the  Coptic  faith  caused 
me  to  pass  entire  nights  in  their  library,  reading 
the  books  written  in  Arabic,  and  the  legends  of 
their  saints.  I  found  these  full  of  trash,  absurdities, 
and  rr'iculous  statements.  Of  these  I  shall  make  use 
ar  the  proper  time  and  place.     At  present  I  will  con- 


f.'-' 


EXPLORATIONS  IN  THE  DELTA. 


269 


tent  myself  with  making  some  remarks  on  my  inves- 
tigations, and  to  endeavor,  above  all,  to  perfect  myself 
in  reading  and  writing  with  ease  in  the  Coptic  lan- 
guage. I  have  written  out  the  Lord's  Prayer  in  this 
dialect.  The  characters  are  the  same  as  those  in  the 
Greek,  with  very  little  difference,  but  with  seven  or 
eight  letters  derived  from  the  Syriac,  which  the 
Copf:s  use,  besides  the  twenty-four  letters  of  the 
Greek  alphabet. 

The  Coptic  language  is  originally  derived  from  the 
Greek,  of  which  it  has  retained  a  large  number  of 
words.  A  knowledge  of  this  fact  enabled  me  to 
understand  the  signification  01  certain  Coptic  words, 
which  the  monks  themselves  did  not  understand.  1 
said  to  them,  laughing,  "  Had  I  not  reason  to  say  to 
you  that  I  am  more  of  a  Copt  than  you  ?  "  And  I 
added,  "  I  am  your  brother  ;  I  love  you,  and  it  is 
through  this  love  for  you  that  I  have  come  to  show 
you  the  way  of  truth,  which  your  teachers  have  con- 
cealed from  you." 

In  this  way  I  spent  many  days  in  the  monastery, 
assiduously  taking  part  in  all  their  exercises  and  the 
services  day  and  night,  and  holding  conferences  with 
them,  when  I  never  failed  to  point  out  what  seemed 
to  mt  defective  in  their  customs  and  their  prayers. 

A  bell,  about  two  feet  in  height  and  the  same  in 
diameter,  suspended  in  the  tower  of  the  monastery, 
summoned  us  to  the  choir  and  to  all  the  services  of 
the  community.  The  sound  of  this  bell  is  very 
strange  music  in  the  desert,  and,  above  all,  among 
the  Turks. 


s 


2/0 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


On  the  loth  of  December,  which  was  Saturday,  I 
set  out  for  the  Monastery  of  Amba  Bichoi,  otherwise 
Saint  Abisay,  distant  from  that  of  the  Suriens  only 
two  stones'  throw,  I  remained  there  but  two  hours, 
finding  only  three  or  four  monks,  without  any  priest. 
I  therefore  returned  to  my  place  at  the  Suriens,  and 
passed  the  rest  of  the  day.  The  next  day,  the  nth, 
after  taking  part  in  the  services  of  the  night  and  of 
the  Mass,  which  lasted  during  two  hours  of  the  night, 
even  to  sunrise,  I  set  out  for  the  Monastery  of  the 
Holy  Virgin  of  Elbaramous,  or  of  the  Greeks.  The 
Superior  of  Saint  Macarius  returned  to  his  home,  and 
I  had  as  my  companion  the  old  monk,  named  Jean, 
whom  I  have  already  mentioned. 

I  learned  on  my  way  that  the  plain  of  Scet6  is 
called  by  the  Arabs  CJiaihat.  We  saw  every  morning 
the  footprints  of  wild  boars,  bears,  hyenas,  w!ld  cat- 
tle, gazelles,  wolves,  and  crows,  freshly  imprinted  on 
the  sands.  These  animals  prowl  around  during  the 
night  and  disappear  in  the  day.  The  dung  of  the 
gazelles  gives  a  scent  of  musk,  but  this  odor  is  dissi- 
pated after  some  days. 

Towards  mid-day  we  reached  Elbaramous,  a  monas- 
tery very  much  venerated,  not  only  for  the  worship  of 
the  Most  Holy  Virgin,  who  is  there  particularly  hon- 
ored by  the  Copts,  but  also  from  having  been  the  resi- 
dence of  a  great  number  of  hermits,  who  have  in 
former  times  sought  there  a  refuge. 

The  tradition  is  that  it  was  built  by  one  of  those 
named  Macarius.  Saint  Arsenius  selected  it  as  the 
place  of  his  retreat.     This  great  servant  of  God  had 


/ 


EXPLORATIONS  IN  THE  DELTA. 


271 


always  been  a  man  of  prominence  in  the  world.  The 
reputation  of  his  virtue  induced  the  Emperor  Theodo- 
sius  to  intrust  to  him  the  education  of  his  two  sons, 
Arcadius  and  Honorius.  He  acquitted  himself  of 
this  duty,  as  in  the  sight  of  God.  in  such  a  way  as  to 
win  the  approbation  of  the  whole  world.  He  alone 
was  dissatisfied  with  himself,  and  with  the  kind  of  life 
he  was  obliged  to  lead  at  the  Court.  One  day,  when 
he  was  filled  with  anxiety,  he  turned  to  the  Lord,  and 
offered  to  Him  the  prayer  of  the  young  man  men- 
tioned by  the  evangelist,  Saint  Matthew, — "  Lord,  what 
must  I  do  to  inherit  eternal  life  .''  "  —  when  he  heard  an 
inward  voice,  but  very  distinct,  which  answered  him, 
"  Arsenius,  fly  from  the  Court."  He  did  not  require 
any  thing  more  to  induce  him  to  quit  it,  and  to  go  and 
devote  himself  to  God  alone  in  the  Desert  of  Scet^, 
which  at  that  time  was  very  famous. 

There  he  lived  for  forty  years,  in  the  continued 
practice  of  every  virtue,  and  particularly  of  that  of  hu- 
mility. He  had  great  power  in  prayer,  and  passed 
days  and  a  portion  of  the  nights  in  the  church,  con- 
cealing himself  behind  a  pillar,  so  as  not  to  be  seen 
by  any  one,  and  to  be  more  absorbed  in  the  divine 
offices.  His  desire  to  be  unknown  was  so  great  that, 
the  Patriarch  Theophilus  having  come  to  visit  him, 
he  asked  him,  as  the  greatest  favor,  not  to  come  again 
to  seek  Arsenius  in  his  solitude. 

He  died,  in  the  odor  of  sanctity,  at  the  age  of 
ninety-five  years.  The  Church  has  enrolled  his  name 
among  its  saints,  and  he  is  particularly  honored  in  the 
Monastery  of  Elbaramous. 


:>    i; 


If 


i". 


li  ... 


272 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


The  Abb6  Moyse,  an  Ethiopian  by  birth,  wr  .  one 
of  the  abb6s  of  this  monastery,  and  to  this  day  his 
memory  is  cherished  there  with  great  veneration. 
The  beginning  of  his  life  was  very  different  from  that 
of  Saint  Arseniiis  ,  for  he  Uved  for  a  long  time  in  con- 
tinual robbery,  as  the  head  of  a  troop  of  brigands. 
But  God  permitted  a  sad  affair  to  happen  to  him, 
which  caused  his  conversion.  Having  recognized  his 
unhappy  state,  he  had  no  other  desire  than  to  go  and 
expiate  his  crimes  by  the  most  rigorous  of  all  acts  of 
penitence.  He  remained  until  his  death  in  the  Mon- 
astery of  Scet^,  where  he  died  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
five  years,  deeply  regretted  by  all  his  disciples,  who 
loved  and  honored  him  as  their  father. 

They  speak  there  very  warmly  of  two  of  his  disci- 
ples, who  were  highly  recommended  by  their  birth 
and  by  their  virtue.  They  were  named  Maximus  and 
Timotheus,  and  are  said  to  have  been  sons  of  a  consul, 
or  of  another  great  Grecian  nobleman.  It  is  in  mem- 
ory of  them  that  this  monastery  bears  the  name  of 
Elbaramous,  or  Piramaous,  a  word  corrupted  from  El 
Romaous,  which  signifies  the  Monastery  of  the  Greeks. 
At  the  distance  of  three  or  four  musket-shots  from 
this  place  we  discovered  the  sad  ruins  of  ten  or  twelve 
sacred  edifices,  near  each  other,  among  which  they 
pointed  out  the  Monastery  of  Moyse  and  the  church 
of  the  Saints  Maximus  and  Timotheus. 

The  Superior  of  Elbaramous  came  to  receive  me. 
This  Superior  is  a  young  priest,  who  seemed  to  me  to 
have  a  great  deal  of  wit,  bi'.t  little  learning.  I  had  a 
discussion  with  him,  which  lasted  from  one  hour  after 


"I 


EXPLORATIONS  IN  THE  DELTA. 


273 


noon  to  sunset,  on  the  points  in  dispute  between  them 
and  us.  The  prejudice  of  these  schismatical  monks 
in  favor  of  their  opinions,  however  extravagant  they 
may  be,  is  the  principal  obstacle  to  remove,  when  one 
wishes  to  labor  for  their  conversion.  I  will  leave  any 
one  to  judge  of  the  extravagance  of  these  views  by 
what  I  am  going  to  relate,  and  which  I  treated  only  as 
a  matter  of  amusement,  to  dispel  the  idea  from  the 
mind  of  the  young  Superior  of  the  monastery,  who  was 
infatuated  with  it.  Tov/ards  the  end  of  our  conver- 
sation, as  he  had  not  yet  mentioned  Vespers,  I  re- 
minded him  that  it  was  time  for  them  to  begin. 

He  answered,  "  Prayer  is  forbidden  at  this  hour."     \ 

"Wb-  ?"   tasked.  ' 

"  Bctduse,"  he  replied,  "  it  is  precisely  the  hour 
which  the  demons  have  for  their  own.  The  Heavens 
are  at  present  closed  against  us  ;  and,  besides,  the 
monks  should  not  be  found  in  such  ^vil  company. 
But,  in  half  an  hoi  r  from  now,  Hell  will  close  on  them, 
Paradise  will  open,  and  then  we  will  say  our  Vespers, 
and  God  will  hear  us." 

**  How  is  it  possible,'  I  said  to  him,  "that  a  man 
of  your  intellect  can  entertain  so  ridiculous  an  idea  } 
Where  have  you  seen  that  the  devils  come  forth  from 
Hell,  that  they  make  their  pra_^ers  to  God,  and  that 
God  hears  them  .-*  V/ho  are  the  men,  equally  sense- 
less with  your.  4ves,  to  have  repeated  such  extrava- 
gances, instead  of  showing,  as  they  should  have  done, 
no  other  feelings  but  contempt  for  them }  How  do 
you  make  your  pretended  prohibition  to  offer  prayers 
to  God  at  this  hour  agree  with  what  the  Saviour  of 

12*  R 


\  :* 


■'■/ ! 


274 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


the  world  inculcates  in  St.  Luke  xviii.,  '  that  it  is  neces- 
sary always  to  pray  and  not  to  faint '  ?  Were  the 
Holy  Virgin,  the  Apostles,  and  the  disciples  of  Jesus 
Christ,  then,  in  the  evil  company  of  demons  and  the 
Heavens  closed  against  them,  when  they  passed  their 
days  and  nights  in  prayer,  to  prepare  themselves  for 
the  descent  of  the  Holy  Spirit  ?  Did  not  St.  Paul 
then  do  wrong  in  exhorting  the  Ephesians  to  pray  at 
all  hours  and  in  all  places  }  " 

The  schismatical  monk,  who  had  sufficient  intellect, 
comprehended  the  ridicule  in  this  reply.  He  told  me 
that  he  was  well  aware  I  was  more  learned  than  him- 
self, and  he  would  make  a  journey  to  Cairo  expressly 
to  confer  with  me. 

I  did  not  make  a  longer  mission  at  Elbaramous,  but 
left  there  on  the  12th  to  go  and  see  the  Lake  of  Nitria 
or  Natron,  two  leagues  distant  from  the  monastery 
towards  the  north.  The  lake  is  two  or  three  leagues 
in  length,  and  a  quarter  of  a  league  in  breadth.  They 
derive  from  it  every  year  36,000  quintals  ^  of  native 
carbonate  of  soda  for  the  Grand  Seigneur,  which 
yields  him  about  thirty-six  bourses.'"^  I  waded  into 
the  water  to  my  knees  to  get  near  the  workmen  who 
are  laboring,  entirely  naked,  in  the  midst  of  the  lake, 
with  bars  of  iron  six  feet  in  length,  and  as  thick  as  a 
finger.  They  struck  the  bottom  with  these  pointed 
bars,  as  they  do  in  France  in  the  quarries,  and  de- 
tached pieces  of  this  material  like  cakes  of  soap. 

On  the  13th,  Father  Jean  and  I  embarked  on  the 

1  A  quintal  is  loo  lbs.  —  Trans. 

^  A  bourse  is  the  sum  of  500  crowns.  —  Trans. 


EXPLORATIONS  IN  THE  DELTA. 


275 


the 


great  Desert  Sea,  but  a  sea  without  water,  as  they 
call  it,  — Bhar  tela  Mar.  We  took  with  us  an  Arab 
to  act  as  guide. 

In  proportion  as  one  advances  on  this  plain,  or  lake 
without  water,  the  bottom  sinks  down  into  billows, 
and  in  certain  places  loses  itself  as  in  a  gulf.  Then 
the  bottom  rises  and  extends  in  large  channels,  which 
lead  into  other  gulfs.  Nothing,  in  fact,  can  so  much 
resemble  a  dry  lake  as  these  different  hollows.  On 
the  ridge  of  the  plain,  and  on  the  borders  of  these 
vast  holes,  one  sees  here  a. id  there  what  appear  to  be 
beams  lying  on  the  earth  and  pieces  of  scattered  wood, 
which  seem  to  have  come  from  the  ruins  of  some 
building.  But  when  one  endeavors  to  take  them  in 
his  hand,  whether  beams  or  broken  planks,  he  finds 
that  what  appears  to  be  wood  is  in  reality  stone.  To 
what  can  we  attribute  this  change,  if  not  to  the  effect 
of  the  nitre  in  the  atmosphere  .-'  I  have  counted  more 
than  fifty  of  these  petrified  beams,  and  the  people  of 
the  country  assure  me  I  should  see  hundreds  if  I  ad- 
vanced much  farther.  The  kingdom  of  Fejam,  which 
is  not  far  from  the  lake,  contains  many  most  beautiful 
petrifactions,  as  M.  le  Maire,  our  consul,  has  stated. 
I  have  taken  with  me  to  Cairo  some  pieces  of  this 
petrified  wood  as  proofs  of  what  I  have  said. 

After  having  passed  over  one  portion  of  the  B/iai' 
beta  Mar,  I  returned  to  Saint  Macarius  on  the  14th 
of  December,  and  to  Etris  on  the  15th,  to  keep  my 
promise  with  the  inhabitants  of  that  place.  I  spent 
three  days  with  them.  They  showed  the  most  ex- 
traordinary joy  at  my  return.     All  they  desired  was 


2/6 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


il 


i    ! 


'■■f-  l\ 


n 


to  receive  my  instructions.  To  render  them  useful  to 
all,  I  assembled  the  women  and  the  girls  at  certain 
hours,  and  the  men  and  boys  at  others.  I  put  them 
all  in  the  Catechism,  to  cause  them  to  learn  the  prin- 
ciples of  our  faith,  which  they  did  not  half  know,  and 
in  a  very  confused  manner.  Having  taught  them  the 
Lord's  Prayer,  of  which  the  greater  part  of  them 
were  ignorant,  I  made  them  recite  it  in  public.  These 
pious  exercises  increased  their  devotion,  and  at  the 
same  time  were  a  great  consolation  to  me.  Many  of 
them  asked  me  to  confess  them,  among  whom  were  a 
married  Deacon  and  the  Mebacher,  or  Chamberlain, 
of  the  Aga,  the  ruler  of  Etris,  OUardan,  and  other 
neighboring  villages.  These  two  last  made  a  public 
renunciation  of  their  heresy  ;  the  others,  to  tell  the 
whole  truth,  did  not  know  what  they  believed.  I  had 
to  content  myself  with  their  promise  that  henceforth 
they  would  honor  the  Church  of  Saint  Peter,  that  they 
would  believe  every  thing  which  the  Catholic  Church 
believes,  and  that  they  would  listen  to  the  instructions 
of  its  ministers. 

After  my  three  days'  employment  at  Etris  in  teach- 
ing the  Catechism  and  the  Public  Prayers,  and  in 
hearing  confessions,  the  Chamberlain  of  the  Aga 
offered  himself  to  conduct  me  to  Oiiardan.  We  ar- 
rived there  on  the  i8th  ;  and,  to  lose  no  time,  the  same 
evening  I  assembled  all  the  Christian  families  of  the 
village,  and  went  through  the  exercises  of  my  mission, 
and  with  as  much  fruit  as  at  Etris.  They  informed 
me  that  they  had  in  that  village  a  pigeon-house  full  of 
man}'  papers  covered  with  magical  characters,  which 


EXPLORATIONS  IN  THE  DELTA. 


277 


they  had  bought  of  some  Coptic  and  schismatical 
monks.  I  pursued  the  proper  course  with  regard  to 
it,  and  attached  to  the  place  the  Jerusalem  Cross, 
which  the  Copts  reverence  with  much  devotion. 

The  2 1st  of  December,  St.  Thomas's  Day,  I  cele- 
brated the  Festival  of  this  great  Apostle  in  the  most 
solemn  manner  that  I  was  able.  I  felt,  during  the 
Holy  Sacrifice  of  the  Mass,  an  extraordinary  impulse 
to  ask  of  God,  by  his  intercession,  the  conversion  of 
these  Christians  of  Lower  Egypt,  whom  I  came  to 
visit  and  instruct. 

My  little  mission  finished,  and  my  time  to  return  to 
Cairo  drawing  near,  I  took  leave  of  my  new  disciple, 
the  Chamberlain  of  the  Aga,  the  ruler  of  f^tris.  He 
bestowed  on  me  a  thousand  marks  of  friendship,  con- 
fidence, and  recognition  of  th'^  service  which  I  had 
rendered  him.  He  promised  me  to  persevere  in  the 
practice  of  our  Holy  Faith  which  he  had  embraced, 
and  to  keep  up  the  holy  exercises  of  piety  and  religion 
which  I  had  established  at  Etris  and  Oiiardan.  After 
having  embraced  me,  he  gave  me  a  guide  and  letters 
of  commendation  addressed  to  his  friends  on  my  route, 
after  which  we  left  him. 

I  passed  through  many  villages  marked  on  my  map. 
At  Terran^  I  saw  the  carbonate  of  soda  which  they 
preserve  there  in  great  piles.  I  arrived  at  Abou  el 
Chaoui,  where  I  lodged  in  the  house  of  the  Chamber- 
lain of  the  Bey,  who  gave  me  a  new  guide  for  the 
following  days.  Continuing  my  route  as  far  as  the 
village  of  Damanehour,  I  reached  there  on  the  23d  of 
December. 


278 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


Mchemet  Surquas,  the  Bey's  Chamberlain,  received 
me  at  his  house.  I  visited  the  village,  which  is  a  very 
pleasant  place  of  residence.  The  Copts  have  a  church 
there,  which,  I  think,  is  the  only  one  they  have  in  this 
part  of  the  West  from  Cairo  to  Alexandria.  There 
is  none  at  Rosetta.  There  are  Christians  scattered 
through  these  villages,  but  without  a  temple,  a  minis- 
ter, or  any  instruction. 

Damanehour  has  but  three  priests  for  a  large  num- 
ber of  Christians,  and  I  did  not  find  these  priests 
better  instructed  than  their  pupils.  They  voluntarily 
took  part  in  my  teaching.  I  replied  to  many  of  their 
questions,  and  had  every  reason  to  bless  God  for  the 
docility  both  of  masters  and  disciples. 

The  Bey's  Chamberlain  asked  me  for  particular  in- 
struction for  his  numerous  family  and  for  his  friends. 
I  assembled  them  at  his  house,  where  he  made  me 
continue  my  instructions  far  into  the  night.  All 
listened  to  the  word  of  God  with  so  much  avidity 
that,  although  I  was  greatly  fatigued  from  the  journey 
I  had  made  and  these  many  hours  of  instruction,  yet 
I  did  not  think  of  taking  any  repose. 

The  Chamberlain  wished  to  detain  me  for  several 
days,  but  I  most  determinedly  insisted  on  taking  my 
leave  ;  promising  him,  however,  that  I  would  return 
after  a  time  to  learn  for  myself  the  fruits  of  my  visit. 
He  gave  me  two  attendants  of  the  Bey  to  accompany 
me  to  Deirout,  a  port  of  the  Nile,  four  or  five  leagues 
distant  from  Damanehour. 

My  journey  led  me  over  the  beautiful  country  which 
the  Nile  fertilizes  by  its  inundations.     The  flax  was 


EXPLORATION^^  IN  THE  DELTA. 


279 


then  in  blossom,  the  beans  ready  to  form,  while  the 
wheat,  the  barley,  and  the  lentils  were  all  very  high. 
The  tobacco  and  the  cotton  had  begun  to  appear, 
while  the  horses  and  other  beasts  of  burden  were 
browsing  off  the  herbage. 

After  passing  through  this  beautiful  country,  I  en- 
tered another  cut  up  by  marshes  and  ponds,  which 
put  the  patience  of  the  traveller  to  the  test.  Four  or 
five  times  the  water  reached  up  to  my  waist,  and  once 
to  my  neck.  After  encountering  these  fatigues,  I 
reached  Deirout.  There,  after  supper,  I  embarked  in 
a  boat,  and,  before  midnight  of  the  Festival  of  Christ- 
mas, we  found  ourselves  at  Rosetta.  I  did  not  dare 
to  land  until  daylight  appeared,  but  in  the  early  morn- 
ing I  repaired  to  the  French  Church,  where  I  cele- 
brated my  three  Masses  and  assisted  at  the  other 
Offices.  Then  I  went  to  visit  the  Greek  Patriarch  of 
Alexandria,  named  Samuel,  who  had  come  there  to 
restore  his  health  by  change  of  climate. 

The  Maronites  and  Copts,  who  had  heard  of  my 
arrival,  came  immediately  to  see  me,  and  earnestly 
desired  me  to  confess  them.  I  prepared  them,  as  far 
as  possible,  to  perform  their  devotions. 

On  the  Festival  of  the  Innocents,  I  returned  by 
land  to  Alexandria,  where  I  learned  that  all  the  French 
ships  had  arrived.  I  immediately  went  to  perform  my 
mission  on  these  ships,  and  to  invite  the  passengers 
and  crew  to  receive  the  Sacraments  for  this  Holy 
Festival.  I  found  my  arrival  was  very  opportune  for 
many  of  them,  who  had  great  need  to  reconcile  them- 
selves to  God.     They  followed  my  advice,  made  con- 


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HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


fession,  and  received  the  Sacrament  of  the  Eucharist 
with  the  most  exemplary  piety.  During  my  stay  at 
Alexandria,  I  went  to  visit  the  Church  of  Saint  Mark, 
which  is  respectable  for  its  antiquity.  It  is  in  the 
hands  of  Coptic  priests,  and,  consequently,  in  a  very 
bad  condition.  That  of  Saint  Catherine,  which  is  served 
by  the  Greeks,  is  very  much  ornamented  by  their 
care  and  liberality.  M.  de  Montreuil,  the  vice-consul, 
and  M.  Barthelemi  Blanc,  showed  me  all  sorts  of  kind 
attentions.  They  placed  their  table  and  their  house 
at  my  disposal,  and  omitted  nothing  to  relieve  me 
from  my  past  fatigues. 

I  left  Alexandria  on  Twelfth  Day  to  return  to  Rosetta. 
The  brothers  Guis  of  Ciota,  the  elder  of  whom  had  for- 
merly been  my  fellow-pupil  in  Philosophy,  received  me 
at  their  house  with  all  the  politeness  and  kindness 
possible.  They  furnished  me  with  provisions  for  my 
return.  I  embarked  on  the  Nile  on  cne  14th  of  Janu- 
ary, but  a  head-wind  prevented  our  reaching  Boulacq 
until  the  beginning  of  the  night  of  the  2rst ;  and  the  fol- 
lowing Sunday  I  celebrated  the  Holy  Mass  at  Cairo. 

This,  Monseigneur,  is  a  short  account  of  my  jour- 
ney through  the  deserts  and  the  countries  of  Lower 
Egypt,  at  the  west  of  the  Delta.  I  can  say,  like  the 
Patriarch  Jacob,  that,  with  my  staff  only,  I  had  ven- 
tured to  traverse,  not  without  much  pain  and  fatigue, 
a  heathen  land,  to  seek  the  lost  sheep.  The  staff  on 
which  I  have  supported  myself  is  the  same  as  that 
which  gave  strength  and  consolation  to  the  Kingly 
Prophet :  ^  I  refer  to  that  Divine  Providence  by  which 

1  Psalm  xxii.  :  "Thy  rod  and  Thy  staff  have  comforted  me." 


EXPLORATIONS  IN  THE  DELTA. 


281 


alone  I  have  been  sustained  on  my  route.  It  was 
that  which  inspired  me,  like  Moses,  with  the  desire  to 
visit  my  brethren  v/ho  are  grcaning  in  slavery,  and 
my  visit  to  whom  has  afforded  me  a  very  great  con- 
solation. 


^ 


282 


HISTORIC/ L  SCENES. 


XII. 


MONASTERIES   IN   THE  THEBAID   DESERT. 

1716. 

[In  the  fifth  century,  Saint  Jerome  gave  the  world  a  particu- 
larly detailed  account  of  his  visit  to  the  monks  of  the  Thebais, 
and  particularly  to  the  old  monasteries  of  Saint  Anthony  and 
Saint  Paul,  perhaps  the  earliest  ever  erected.  This  was  then 
the  cradle  of  the  monastic  system,  whose  rapid  progress  owed 
more  to  the  glowing  story  of  Saint  Jerome  than  to  any  other 
agency. 

From  that  day,  one  century  flowed  by  after  another,  in  the 
stagnant  life  of  these  secluded  abodes,  as  changeless  as  the  sur- 
face of  the  desert  around  ;  but  we  have  no  extended  account  of 
them  till  the  Abbd  Sicard  published  his  narrative  of  his  journey 
across  the  sandy  wilderness  of  Thebes,  to  visit  these  retreats  of 
the  Coptic  recluses. 

A  point  of  great  interest  connected  with  his  expedition  was 
the  fact  that  his  companion  was  the  celebrated  Joseph  Asse- 
manni.  His  name  must  be  famihar  to  any  one  who  has  been 
interested  in  the  Library  of  the  Vatican.  A  Maronite  shepherd 
in  his  early  days,  he  found  his  way  to  Rome ;  and  there,  by  self- 
cultivation,  he  advanced,  until  his  fame  for  learning  was  spread 
abroad,  and  he  had  intrusted  to  his  care  the  precious  volumes 
and  manuscripts  of  the  Vatican.  There  his  days  were  passed 
among  its  treasures. 

There  are  persons  whose  whole  lives,  gliding  by  in  unbroken 
quiet,  offer  but  one  or  two  salient  points  to  the  biographer.  So 
was  it  with  Assemanni.  There  are  but  two  events  which  break 
in  on  the  dead  calm  of  his  studious  career.  One  was  his  pre- 
siding, as  Legate  of  the  Pope,  o\er  the  Maronite  Council  which 


MONASTERIES  IN  THE  DESERT. 


283 


was  convoked  in  Syria  in  1735.  The  other  was  the  journey  to 
the  ancient  monasteries  of  the  Thebaic!  wilderness,  where  he 
went  in  search  of  manuscripts  to  enrich  the  collection  at  Rome. 
Thenceforth  he  lived  only  for  his  literary  labors,  forgetful  of  his 
distant  Syrian  home  ;  "  scarcely,"  we  are  told,  "  allowing  time 
for  the  performance  of  sacerdotal  duties,  or  attendance  at  the 
ceremonies  of  Saint  Peter's."  And  when  at  last  the  end  came, 
he  was  laid  in  the  certietery  in  Rome,  his  biographer  tells  us, 
"  sorrowing  as  much  to  part  from  the  treasures  of  the  Vatican 
as  from  his  decaying  life."] 


Letter  of  Father  Sicard,  Missionary  in  Egypt,  to 

Father  Fleurian. 


My  Reverend  Father,  —  My  constant  occupation, 
to  fulfil  the  different  duties  of  the  mission,  has,  even 
to  the  present  time,  prevented  my  furnishing  you  with 
an  account  of  my  journey  through  the  Desert  of 
Lower  Thebes. 

I  avail  myself  of  the  repose  and  the  leisure,  which 
I  have  come  to  seek  at  Cairo,  to  fulfil  the  promise  I 
gave  you,  to  furnish  you  in  writing  with  every  thing 
which  it  has  seemed  to  me  worth  your  knowing. 

M.  Joseph  Assemanni,  of  the  nation  of  the  Maro- 
nites,  originally  from  Mount  Lebanon,  came  to  Egypt, 
and  arrived  at  Cairo,  nearly  a  year  ago.  The  object 
of  his  journey  was  to  search  in  this  country  for  old 
Arabic  and  Coptic  manuscripts,  and  to  purchase 
them,  whatever  their  cost  might  be,  to  enrich  the 
Vatican  Library,  of  which  he  is  Librarian. 

We  received  him  at  our  residence,  where  we  gave 
him  the  best  welcome  in  our  power  ;  and  I  made  him 


i  I 
ill 


9; 


284 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


the  offer  of  acting  as  his  guide  to  the  Sacristies  of 
the  principal  churches  of  this  city.  At  his  request,  I 
accompanied  him  to  the  monasteries  in  the  Desert 
of  Saint  Macarius.  We  found  in  all  these  places  a 
great  number  of  very  rare  books,  of  which  he  pur- 
chased those  that  suited  him. 

After  this  first  search,  he  departed  to  Syria,  where 
they  assured  him  he  would  find  an  excellent  collection 
of  Syriac  manuscripts.  He  told  me,  at  parting,  that 
he  would  come  back  to  this  city  as  soon  as  possible  ; 
and  made  me  promise,  that,  on  his  return,  I  would 
accompany  him  to  the  mountains  of  Lower  Thebes, 
to  continue  his  inquiry  for  Coptic  and  Arabic  books. 

Some  months  having  passed,  M.  Assemanni  re- 
turned to  Cairo.  He  had  scarcely  arrived,  when  he 
proposed  to  me  to  make  with  him  the  journey  to  the 
Desert  of  Thebes,  of  which  he  had  already  spoken. 
For  a  long  time,  indeed,  I  had  desired  to  do  this,  to 
obtain  fuller  information  with  regard  to  the  Coptic 
Religious  Orders  in  the  monasteries  of  Saint  Anthony 
and  Saint  Paul,  which  are  schismatics.  I  had  always 
proposed  to  hold  some  conferences  with  them,  to  learn 
what  prospect  there  might  be  of  their  conversion.  I 
knew,  indeed,  that,  without  any  doubt,  their  return  to 
the  orthodox  faith,  and  that  of  their  Patriarch,  would 
be  so  much  the  more  important  and  advantageous,  as 
it  would  certainly  be  followed  by  that  of  the  whole 
nation. 

I  was  also  desirous  to  examine  all  that  I  had  heard, 
on  the  testimony  of  others,  with  regard  to  the  Desert 
of  Thebes,  and  the  monasteries  which  are  within  its 


MONASTERIES  IN  THE  DESERT. 


285 


bounds.      These  motives  induced  me  to  resolve  to 
accompany  Assemanni. 

We  left  Old  Cairo  on  the  23d  of  May,  17 16.  The 
report  of  our  departure  began  to  disquiet  the  schis- 
matics, so  that  they  repaired  to  their  Patriarch,  and. 
excited  his  fears  with  regard  to  the  evil  effects  which 
might  result  from  our  interviews  with  the  schismatic 
monks  of  the  Desert.  They  even  wished  lo  engage 
him  to  oppose  our  journey.  But  the  Patriarch  con- 
tented himself  with  requesting  us,  in  our  conferences, 
not  to  treat  of  any  doctrine  contrary  to  that  of  Dios- 
corus.  I  gave  him  the  assurance  that  I  would  not 
bring  forward  any  thing  except  on  the  fundamental 
points  of  the  religion  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  the  injunc- 
tions of  the  Evangelists  on  the  necessity  of  salvation, 
the  evil  of  sin ;  on  the  necessity  of  good  works ;  on 
the  love  of  God,  and  of  our  neighbor.  With  this 
declaration,  the  Patriarch  gave  us  letters  of  recom- 
mendation, to  enable  us  to  be  hospitably  entertained 
in  the  monasteries,  and  to  visit  the  libraries. 

We  set  sail  in  a  small  vessel  bound  up  the  Nile. 
The  day  after  our  embarkment,  which  was  the  24th 
of  May,  we  arrived  at  the  city  of  Benisonet,  situated 
on  the  western  bank  of  the  river,  twenty  leagues  dis- 
tant from  Cairo.  On  the  25  th,  we  left  Benisonet  to 
go  to  the  village  of  Baiad,  which  is  on  the  east  of  the 
river.  In  this  place  we  procured  guides  to  conduct 
us  over  the  Desert  of  Saint  Anthony,  which  was  one 
of  the  principal  objects  of  our  journey.  On  the  26th 
of  May  we  left  Baiad,  mounted  on  camels,  and  es- 
corted  by  two  camel-drivers.     We   travelled  to  the 


286 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


W'^ 


111 


I 


north  along  the  Nile,  for  the  distance  of  two  or  three 
leagues,  and  then  turned  to  the  east,  to  enter  the  cele- 
brated Desert  of  Saint  Anthony,  or  of  Lower  Thebes. 
This  desert  is  so  famous  that  everybody  has  heard 
of  it :  but  few  persons  are  acquainted  with  its  true 
situation,  its  extent,  and  the  kind  of  life  passed  by 
the  hermits  who  even  at  this  day  are  living  in  it ;  or, 
at  least,  they  have  only  a  confused  idea  of  these 
things. 

As  I  have  had  the  advantage  of  visiting  these 
places,  and  as  I  have  taken  the  time  to  examine 
every  thing  which  merits  attention,  I  will  endeavor, 
my  Reverend  Father,  to  give  you  an  exact  detail,  not 
only  of  the  names  and  the  buildings  of  these  monas- 
teries, but  also  of  the  mountains  and  valleys,  and 
generally  of  every  thing  which  is  remarkable  in  these 
vast  deserts,  where  there  formerly  reigned  a  penitence 
different  from  that  which  you  can  see  to-day,  and 
which  schism  has  distorted. 

From  Baiad,  on  the  bank  of  the  Nile,  is  a  sandy 
plain,  which  stretches  even  to  the  pass  o^  G6b6e.  We 
travelled  across  this  plain,  to  enter  this  gorge,  which 
is  shut  in  by  two  mountains,  the  highest  of  which,  at 
the  right,  bears  the  name  of  Gdb^e  ;  the  other,  at  the 
left,  and  much  lower,  is  named  Hajar  Moussoum,  or 
the  Marked  Stone.  In  this  valley,  there  are  three 
or  four  reservoirs  of  water,  not  far  distant  from  each 
other,  and  in  natural  hollows  of  the  rock.  The  rain, 
which  fills  them,  carries  with  it  a  chalk,  wh'ch  renders 
the  water  white.  We  arrived  about  noon  at  the  first 
reservoir,  which  is  a  kind  of  cistern.     The  heat  was 


MONASTERIES  IN  THE  DESERT. 


287 


excessive,  and  there  was  no  tree  in  the  valley  to  afford 
us  any  shade.  We  saw  only  some  small  bushes  scat- 
tered here  and  there,  and  some  herbs,  which  could  not 
be  of  any  use  to  us. 

We  had,  however,  need  of  rest,  and  happily  found 
a  high  rock  which  projected  forward  at  the  top,  and 
thus  protected  from  the  heat  of  the  sun  a  thick  bed 
of  moss  which  was  at  its  base.  We  took  advantage 
of  this  fortunate  discovery  to  pass  the  time  under  the 
shelter  of  this  rock,  while  the  great  heat  of  the  day 
was  prevailing.^ 

At  the  third  or  fourth  hour  of  the  evening,  we  re- 
sumed our  journey,  and  took  courage  to  mount  to  the 
top  of  Mount  Geb^e.  There  we  remained  for  about 
an  hour.  We  saw  from  thence  a  plain  of  great  ex- 
tent, which  stretched  to  our  right  on  both  sides.  This 
plain  was  formerly  called  Banquara,  or  The  Cow.  At 
the  present  day  it  is  named  Cannour,  or  The  Cat. 
The  ground  is  sandy  or  sterile,  as  is  that  of  all  the 
desert.  The  rains,  which  are  frequent  in  winter, 
form  many  torrents ;  but  their  bed  is  dry  all  the  rest 
of  the  year.  There  we  selected  a  place,  the  least  in- 
convenient we  could  find,  at  which  to  pass  the  night 
of  May  27.  We  partook  of  the  provisions  we  had 
brought  with  us,  which  consisted  of  biscuit,  cheese, 
and  salt  fish.  Our  supper  took  but  little  time  to  pre- 
pare, and  but  little  to  eat.  As  we  had  a  greater 
desire  to  sleep  than  to  eat,  sleep  overcame  us  on  the 
sand  ;  nor  did  it  lose  its  hold  until  the  next  morning. 

*  "The  shadow  of  a  great  rock  in  a  weary  land"  (Isaiah  xxxii,  2). 
—  Trans. 


288 


HISTORICAL  SCENES, 


We  left  this  place  two  hours  before  daybreak.  Our 
arrangements  had  been  made  judiciously;  for,  on  all 
the  plain  of  Sannour  and  on  the  mountains  which  sur- 
rounded it,  we  did  not  see  any  thing  but  wild  acacias, 
which  bore  as  many  thorns  as  leaves ;  and  these 
leaves  are  r>o  thinly  scattered  that  they  offer  but  little 
relief  to  a  traveller  who  seeks  to  use  them  as  a  shade 
from  the  scorching  sun. 

The  great  plain  of  Sannour,  over  which  our  journey 
led,  terminates  at  Mount  Keleil,  or  Bien-aim6.  This 
long  mountain  is  divided  in  the  middle,  and  separates 
into  two,  to  form  a  gorge  and  make  room  for  another 
plain,  which  they  call  by  the  name  of  Araba,  or  the 
Plain  of  the  Chariots.  This  plain,  on  which  I  have 
travelled  more  than  fifteen  leagues  towards  the  north 
and  the  north-west,  extends  a  much  greater  distance 
on  the  side  towards  the  south.  It  is  bounded  on  the 
east  by  the  mountains  Keleil  and  Askar,  and  on  the 
west  by  Mount  Cobzim. 

We  passed  around  Mount  Keleil  by  the  gorge  of 
which  I  have  spoken.  On  the  right  we  saw  the  ruins 
of  a  monastery,  which  was  at  the  entrance  of  the  Plain 
of  the  Chariots.  Our  guides  caused  us  to  proceed  two 
leagues  beyond,  to  reach  the  bed  of  a  dried-up  torrent, 
which  was  to  serve  for  our  bed,  and  where  we  were  to 
spend  the  night.  Our  lodging-place,  bad  as  it  was, 
caused  us  much  less  suffering  than  did  the  thirst. 
Our  four  camels  had  each  been  loaded  with  a  skin 
filled  with  water.  Two  of  these  we  had  emptied,  and 
counted  on  having  the  other  two ;  but  our  camel- 
drivers,  I  know  not  for  what   reason,   had    rubbed 


I 


MONASTERIES  IN  THE  DESERT. 


289 


them  over  with  linsced-oil,  which  was  so  powerful  that 
it  affected  the  water  to  such  an  extent  that  we  pre- 
ferred suffering  with  thirst  to  relieving  ourselves  with 
this  water. 

The  next  morning,  the  28th,  we  set  out  before  day. 
The  dawn  enabled  us  to  see  a  group  of  palm-trees, 
which  were  at  the  foot  of  Mount  Kf^  eil,  and  distant 
from  us  four  or  five  miles.  Our  guides  told  us  that 
these  palm-trees  shaded  a  little  marsh,  the  water  of 
which,  although  somewhat  salt,  was  good  to  drink. 
We  hastened  thither.  The  speed  with  which  we 
reached  it  resembled  that  of  the  Israelites,  when  they 
pressed  forward  to  drink  of  the  water  which  came 
forth  from  the  rock. 

This  little  relief,  in  our  excessive  thirst,  gave  us 
new  strength.  We  hastened  our  steps  to  reach  the 
Monastery  of  Saint  Anthony  at  a  proper  hour.  Some 
little  hills  concealed  it  from  our  view.  We  passed 
over  them,  and  suddenly  came  in  sight  of  this  cele- 
brated and  ancient  monument.  Our  diligence  was  so 
great  that  we  arrived  there  before  mid-day. 

To  give  you,  my  Reverend  Father,  the  best  idea 
that  it  is  possible  for  me  to  convey  of  this  place,  so 
commended  and  so  little  known,  it  is  necessary  to 
remark,  in  the  first  place,  that  this  monastery  and  all 
that  surrounds  it  only  bring  to  your  view  objects 
frightful  in  their  nature,  and  which  fill  you  with  a 
holy  horror.  You  see  a  great  number  of  caverns, 
scattered  over  the  mountains  Cobzim,  Keleil,  and 
Askar.  One  sees  at  once  that  they  have  been  hol- 
lowed out  by  man.     The  rays  of  the  sun  can  with 


290 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


yiiii! 


difficulty  penetrate  into  them.  Between  these  high 
mountains  is  seen  only  a  vast  plain,  as  sterile  as  it  is 
solitary.  It  is  on  this  plain,  at  the  foot  of  Mount 
Cobzim,  in  sight  of  the  Red  Sea,  shut  in  between 
Mount  Cobzim  and  the  mountains  of  Arabia  Petrea, 
that  the  Monastery  of  Saint  Anthony  is  situated. 

Looking  attentively  at  all  these  dark  caverns, 
could  imagine  that  I  saw  coming  forth  from  them  thvi 
Anthonys,  the  Pauls,  the  Hilarions,  the  Paphnuces, 
the  Ammons,  and  all  the  famous  Fathers  of  the 
desert,  who  had  condemned  themselves  to  a  life  of 
toil  and  penitence,  to  win  for  themselves  the  kingdom 
of  God.  We  found  there,  as  their  successors,  only 
the  schismatic  Copts,  who  were  passing  their  days  in 
the  Monastery  of  Saint  Anthony. 

We  presented  ourselves  for  entrance,  and  looked 
for  the  door ;  but  our  guides  told  us  that  it  was  not 
to  be  found.  In  fact,  the  constant  fear  lest  the  Arabs, 
who  are  great  robbers  of  the  monks,  should  come  and 
surprise  the  monastery  to  pillage  them,  has  obliged 
them  to  make  another  entrance  for  ordinary  use. 
This  expedient  has  been  adopted,  not  only  in  the 
Monastery  of  Saint  Anthony,  but  also  in  those  of 
Mount  Sinai  and  Saint  Monnas,  of  which  Saint 
Pith6rion  was  Superior,  as  Rufin  states  in  his  history. 

Our  camel-drivers,  who  knew  what  was  necessary 
to  do  on  this  occasion,  took  some  stones  and  forcibly 
threw  them  into  the  garden  of  the  monks,  and,  shout- 
ing as  loud  as  they  could,  caused  them  to  hear.  In  a 
moment  we  saw  some  of  the  monks  appear  on  the 
parapet  of  a  very  high  wall.     They  signified  to  us  by 


MONASTERIES  IN  THE  DESERT. 


291 


their  gestures  and  the  tone  of  their  voices  that  we 
were  very  welcome.  At  the  same  time,  they  lowered 
down  to  us  a  jar  of  water,  knowing  by  experience  that 
the  pilgrims  who  arrive  at  their  walls  are  always 
afflicted  with  an  excessive  thirst.  We  availed  our- 
selves of  this  charitable  act,  of  which  we  had  great 
need.  Then  a  large  basket  descended  to  us,  in  which 
our  camel-drivers  placed  us,  and  immediately  the 
monks,  who  were  on  a  kind  of  parapet,  raised  us 
from  the  ground  by  means  of  a  pulley,  which  hoisted 
us  up  to  a  high  window,  through  which  we  entered 
the  monastery. 

The  Superior,  informed  of  our  arrival,  came  to  give 
us  a  gracious  salute.  I  announced  to  him  the  claims 
of  M.  Assemanni.  After  their  first  civilities,  we  went 
to  the  church  to  perform  our  devotions,  conducted 
thithe.  by  the  Superior  and  the  monks.  They  then 
brought  us  to  a  chamber,  which  was  sufflciently 
proper,  but  very  poorly  furnished.  At  that  moment, 
two  monks  spread  a  large  cloth  of  skin  on  a  mat  flat 
on  the  ground,  on  which  they  placed  five  or  six  plates, 
which  contained  the  same  kind  of  food.  This  was  a 
paste,  boiled  in  water  with  the  oil  of  Sesane,  on  which 
they  poured  two  or  three  spoonfuls  of  honey.  The 
Superior  invited  us  to  place  ourselves  at  table,  that  is 
to  say,  to  sit  down  with  our  feet  crossed,  one  under 
the  other,  according  to  the  custom  of  the  country. 
Our  abstinence  from  nourishment  gave  us  sufficient 
appetite  to  eat.  They  afterwards  served  each  one 
with  two  cups,  one  filled  with  wine  and  the  other 
with  coffee.  Both  these  were  given  us  as  a  mark  of 
distinction  and  for  elegance. 


I"''    I 


292 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


«*-!;' 


After  we  had  rested  some  time,  we  v/ent  round  to 
visit  the  different  parts  of  the  monastery.  In  the 
midst  of  a  large,  inner  court  there  are  two  churches, 
or  rather  two  chapels,  which  are  twenty  or  thirty 
paces  in  length  and  much  less  in  breadth.  Their 
only  merit  is  their  antiquity,  for  they  are  dark  and 
roughly  built.  Their  walls  are  covered  with  pictures, 
very  much  smoked  by  the  quantity  of  incense  they 
burn  in  the  chapels  during  the  celebration  cf  divine 
service.  One  of  these  chapels  is  dedicated  to  the 
Apostles  Saint  Peter  and  Saint  Paul,  and  the  other  to 
Saint  Anthony. 

It  is  natural  that  a  view  of  these  buildings  should 
recall  what  tradition  has  taught  us  of  those  holy  her- 
mits, and  to  cause  us  to  exclaim,  with  emotion,  "  Here 
the  great  Saint  Anthony  has  prayed  ;  here  Macarius, 
the  successor  of  Saint  Anthony,  has  prayed  ;  here 
Postuinien,  the  successor  of  Saint  Macarius,  and 
Father  of  five  thousand  hermits,  has  offered  his 
devotions  !  " 

These  two  churches  communicate  by  a  small  gal- 
lery, which  leads  from  one  to  the  other.  This  gallery 
has  a  small  belfry  with  a  bell,  which  is  onlj'  a  foot 
and  a  half  in  diameter.  The  Turks  do  not  suffer  this 
in  other  places  ;  but  in  these  deserts  they  do  not  keep 
watch. 

Near  these  churches  is  a  square  tower,  the  door  of 
which  is  placed  about  six  yards  above  the  level  of  the 
ground.  This  tower  is  a  kind  of  fortification  and  a 
place  of  security,  where  the  monks  deposit  their  books 
and  all  they  have  which  is  most  valuable,  in  the  con- 


MONASTERIES  IN  THE  DESERT. 


293 


stant  fear  lest  the  Arabs  come  and  scale  their  walls 
to  plunder  them,  —  a  contingency  which  has  happened 
more  than  once.  It  is  for  the  same  reason  that  they 
have  contrived  in  this  tower  a  little  chapel,  where 
they  pack  away  their  sacred  vessels,  and  where  they 
perform  their  services  in  case  of  an  attack,  to  which 
they  are  so  liable.  They  enter  this  tower  by  a  little 
drawbridge,  supported  on  a  neighboring  terrace.  I 
have  seen  similar  towers  in  the  monasteries  of  the 
Desert  of  Nitria. 

The  cells  of  the  monks  are  built  along  the  length 
of  the  court.  They  are  about  thirty  in  number,  and 
are  almost  all  separated,  one  from  the  other,  and  form 
small  streets.  The  refectory,  the  kitchen,  the  well,  at 
which  a  horse  is  almost  constantly  employed  in  draw- 
ing up  the  water,  and  the  other  little  buildings  appro- 
priated to  domestic  offices,  have  their  own  particular 
streets.  These  cells  and  offices  and  streets  appear 
like  a  little  village,  situated  in  the  midst  of  a  great 
desert.     Silence  is  kept  there  day  and  night. 

The  monastery  has  its  garden,  which  is  sufficiently 
large.  The  court  of  which  I  am  about  to  speak  and 
the  garden  which  surrounds  it  form  a  square,  which 
includes  nine  or  ten  acres.  In  their  garden  the  monks 
cultivate  all  kinds  of  kitchen  vegetables  for  their  use. 
They  have  planted  there  dates,  olives,  beans,  lentils, 
peaches,  and  apricots.  They  invited  us  to  pluck  these 
fruits  for  ourselves. 

We  found  in  their  garden  two  vines,  which  furnish 
them  with  a  little  claret  wine.  This  they  keep  for 
their  guests,  whom  they  wish  to  distinguish  and  par- 


294 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


f 


<  PI 


ticularly  regale.  But  they  themselves  never  drink  it, 
except  on  the  four  great  festivals  of  the  year.  Their 
ordinary  drink  is  water.  It  is  brought  to  them  by 
three  different  pipes,  which  receive  it  at  the  foot  of 
Mount  Cobzim,  where  is  its  source.  These  pipes  con- 
vey it  under  the  ground  and  the  walls,  even  into  the 
offices  and  the  gardens  of  the  monastery,  which  are 
irrigated  by  it.  The  water  is  clear,  but  is,  neverthe- 
less, charged  with  a  degree  of  saltness.  To  this, 
however,  they  are  accustomed,  and  it  is  not  injurious 
to  health.  The  water  throughout  this  entire  country 
has  the  same  quality. 

Towards  the  middle  of  the  garden  is  a  small  chapel, 
dedicated  to  Saint  Mark,  the  hermit,  and  one  of  the 
disciples  of  Saint  Anthony.  It  is  a  small  hermitage, 
to  which  the  monks  go  for  their  private  devotions. 
This  chapel  has  two  altars,  and  certain  inscriptions 
which  one  reads  on  the  walls  give  us  to  understand 
that  the  Latins  have  celebrated  there  the  Holy 
Mass. 

After  having  given  this  description  of  the  mon- 
astery, it  is  necessary  to  speak  of  the  monks  who 
inhabit  it.  There  were  but  fifteen  monks  in  the 
place  when  we  were  there.  The  only  priests  among 
them  were  the  Superior  and  one  other  monk.  Their 
dress  consists  of  a  shirt  of  white  wool,  a  tunic  of  dark 
wool,  and  a  vest  of  black  serge,  with  large  sleeves. 
This  tunic  covers  the  other  garments.  They  wear  on 
the  head  a  black  cowl,  fitting  very  close,  and  under 
the  cowl  a  cap  of  red  or  violet  wool.  This  cap  is  sur- 
rounded by  a  turban,  striped   with  white  and  blue 


MONASTERIES  IN  THE   DESERT. 


295 


They  have  round  them  a  leather  belt.  Their  shoes 
are  red  or  black.  They  put  them  off  when  they  enter 
the  church  or  their  cells,  the  ground  of  which  is  cov- 
ered with  mats.  They  wear  no  stockings.  Their 
head  is  always  shaved,  and  they  never  uncover  it, 
whether  they  assist  in  the  divine  mysteries  or  them- 
selves celebrate  them. 

As  to  what  relates  to  the  regulation  of  their  lives, 
this  is  what  I  have  learned.  Their  rule  is  to  observe 
obedience,  poverty,  and  chastity ;  never  to  eat  meat 
in  the  monastery  ;  to  fast  the  whole  year,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  Saturdays,  Sundays,  and  the  season  of 
Easter  ;  to  recite  the  Canonical  Masses  standing,  ac- 
cording to  the  Oriental  form,  —  being  allowed,  never- 
theless, to  support  themselves  on  a  staff,  which  has  a 
cross-piece  above,  in  the  form  of  a  T ;  to  present 
themselves  in  the  choir  at  the  moment  the  Psalms 
are  to  be  chanted  ;  to  sleep  clothed,  covered  by  a 
single  mat ;  to  prostrate  themselves,  every  evening, 
one  hundred  and  fifty  times,  with  their  faces  to  the 
earth  and  their  arms  extended,  and  to  make  the  sign 
of  the  Cross  each  time  they  raise  themselves  from  the 
ground.  They  call  these  prostrations  Meranoi ;  that 
is  to  say.  Penitence. 

But  among  these  Coptic  monks  are  those  who 
make  profession  of  a  more  perfect  life.  They  are  dis- 
tinguished from  the  other  monks  by  a  kind  of  Pallium, 
or  Scapular,  of  leather,  which  they  call  the  Angelic 
Habit,  and  which  they  entitle  Ashim,  from  the  Greek 
word  edrjfia,  which  signifies  habit.  This  Pallium,  or 
Scapular,  hangs  down  from  the  top  of  the  shoulders, 


I 


:4m 


n:ll 


296 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


on  the  back  and  on  the  stomach,  under  the  tunic. 
This  habit  has  four  ends  which  are  woven  in  a  Cross, 
entwining  one  with  the  other  in  many  ways. 

These  aspirants  for  a  higher  perfection  than  their 
brethren,  and  who  for  distinction  wear  this  Angelic 
Habit  of  which  we  have  spoken,  are  obliged  to  observe 
the  Fasts  and  other  austerities  more  strictly ;  among 
other  things,  to  make  three  hundred  prostrations 
every  night,  and  as  many  signs  of  the  Cross.  I  in- 
quired how  many  monks  were  in  the  monastery  who 
had  obtained  permission  to  wear  the  Ashim.  They 
replied  that  there  were  but  three  or  four.  We  did 
not  see  them,  as  they  observed  a  very  strict  seclusion. 

If  a  life  as  pure  and  penitent  as  that  of  these  monks 
of  the  Desert  of  St.  Anthony  had  for  its  foundation  a 
pure  and  orthodox  faith,  we  should  have  nothing  but 
praise  to  bestow  upon  them,  and  to  thank  God  for  the 
successors  Providence  had  given  to  the  ancient  soli- 
taries of  the  Theban  Desert.  But  these  old  sanctuaries 
of  virtue,  formerly  watered  by  the  tears  and  dyed  by 
the  blood  of  those  noble  martyrs  to  penitence,  are 
to-day  occupied  by  men  infected  with  Monothelism 
and  Monophysism,  —  men  who  stagnate  in  gross  igno- 
rance, but  infatuated  with  their  own  views,  prejudiced 
against  the  Catholics,  —  given  up  to  all  kinds  of  super- 
stition, entangling  themselves  in  sorcery,  believing 
themselves  to  possess  the  power  to  cure  the  sick,  to 
charm  serpents,  and  to  commit  a  thousand  other  ex- 
travagances. 

See  the  successors  of  those  bright  luminaries  who 
formerly  shone  in  the  Theban  Desert  and  through  the 


MONASTERIES  IN  THE  DESERT. 


297 


entire  world !  The  Lord  has  overturned  these  living 
rltars,  the  fragrance  of  which  was  so  pleasing  to  Him. 
He  has  smitten  with  a  curse  those  blessed  habitations 
to  which  men  once  resorted  from  all  parts  to  acquire 
<-he  love  of  sanctity.     Sad  effects  of  schism  ! 

I  had  many  conversations  with  the  Superior  of  the 
monastery,  who  is  named  Synnodius.  The  Superior, 
to  speak  accurately,  is  only  the  Vicar  of  the  monas- 
tery ;  for  there  is  a  Superior-General,  not  only  of  the 
Monastery  of  Saint  Anthony,  but  also  of  that  of  Saint 
Paul,  of  which  wewill  speak  presently.  The  Superior- 
General  makes  his  residence  at  Bouche,  a  village 
west  of  the  Nile.  His  care  is  to  send  to  these  two 
monasteries,  which  are  under  his  jurisdiction,  sup- 
plies of  wheat,  lentils,  onions,  linseed  oil,  incense,  wax, 
and  other  similar  things  of  which  they  have  need. 

The  Superior-General  who  was  then  at  the  head  of 
affairs  was  named  Mark.  He  was  involved  in  a  quar- 
rel with  his  Patriarch  when  I  was  at  Cairo,  where  the 
Patriarch  resided.  The  subject  of  their  dispute  was 
about  a  sum  of  eight  or  ten  thousand  crowns,  which 
Mark,  as  was  reported,  had  hoarded  up,  and  which  he 
carefully  guarded.  His  Patriarch  condemned  it,  and 
wished  to  make  him  render  an  account  of  this  sum. 

To  return  to  Synnodius :  I  found  in  this  monk 
more  wit  than  learning,  although  he  thought  himself 
learned.  I  contented  myself  with  putting  to  him 
some  questions,  as  if  to  satisfy  my  own  doubts  on 
their  erroneous  and  schismatic  opinions.  But  he  had 
no  desire  except  to  answer  in  accordance  with  his  own 
belief,  and  to  inveigh  against  the  Latin  Church,  with- 
13* 


298 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


Ill 
11 


out  being  willing  to  listen  to  a  single  good  argument. 
He  was  much  better  pleased  with  talking  to  me  about 
astrology  and  the  transmutation  of  metals,  which  he 
made  the  sole  object  of  his  studies.  I  learned,  there- 
fore, that  it  was  necessary  to  content  myself  with 
pitying  him,  and  praying  God  to  remove  his  obstinacy. 

He  was  much  more  amiable  when  we  asked  him 
to  allow  us  to  see  the  tower,  which  is  closed  against 
all  strangers.  But,  in  consideration  of  some  little  pres- 
ents of  articles  of  hardware,  we  persuaded  him  to 
conduct  us  thither.  We  were  curious  to  see  and  ex- 
amine the  manuscripts.  We  found  there  three  chests 
filled  with  them,  \  which  was  all  that  had  escaped 
the  pillage  of  the  monastery  at  different  times.  We 
turned  them  over,  one  after  another  ;  but  the  manu- 
scripts, for  the  most  part,  consisted  only  of  prayers 
and  homilies  in  the  Coptic  and  Arabic  languages. 
The  Abb6  Assemanni  found  only  three  or  four  manu- 
scripts of  any  use  to  the  Vatican.  These  he  bought 
of  the  Superior,  without  the  knowledge  of  the  monks, 
who  would  have  been  opposed  to  it,  notwithstanding 
the  worthlessness  to  them  of  these  books,  of  which 
they  did  not  make  any  use. 

After  having  had  sufficient  time  to  visit  the  Mon- 
astery of  Saint  Anthony,  and  to  become  acquainted 
with  it,  we  proposed  to  Father  Synnodius  to  accom- 
pany us  in  our  visit  to  the  Monastery  of  Saint  Paul. 
He  told  us  that  he  would  not  advise  us  to  attempt 
this  journey,  as  we  would  certainly  fall  into  the  hands 
of  the  Arabs  called  Abalde,  who  infested  the  borders 
of  the   Red    Sea.     He  explained   to   us   that   these 


MONASTERIES  IN  THE  DESERT. 


299 


*aul. 
^mpt 


ds 


in 


lese 


Abalde  Arabs  were  originally  from  the  neighborhood 
of  Assaoiian  and  Nubia ;  that  they  were  sworn  enemies 
of  the  other  Arabs  called  Benioiiassel ;  that  these  lived 
on  the  banks  of  the  Nile,  towards  Cairo  ;  that  they 
were  often  engaged  in  battles  with  e^ch  other ;  and 
that  only  a  short  time  ago  those  of  Abald6  had  massa- 
cred a  large  troop  of  the  Benioiiassel. 

I  replied  to  Father  Synnodius  that  my  curiosity  to 
learn  for  myself  the  productions,  the  size,  and  the 
fluctuations  of  the  Red  Sea,  was  much  stronger  than 
any  fears  of  the  Arabs  ;  and  that,  besides,  we  had  con- 
fidence in  the  protection  of  God. 

Father  Synnodius  yielded  to  our  great  desire.  We 
loaded  our  camels  with  the  necessary  provisions,  and 
set  out  on  our  journey  at  five  o'clock  in  the  evening 
of  May  29th.  Our  course  was  towards  the  north  by 
the  plain  of  Araba,  having  Mount  Cobzim  on  our  right, 
and  Mount  Askar  on  our  left,  distant  from  each  other 
about  eighteen  miles,  and  thirty  miles  from  the  Red 
Sea.  The  plain  where  we  were  was  cut  up  in  the 
summer  time  by  an  infinite  number  of  dry  beds  of 
torrents,  and  covered  in  many  places  with  small  hills 
which  ordinarily  are  composed  of  mineral  earth  of 
ochre  of  different  colors,  —  yellow,  red,  green,  and 
brown. 

As  our  way  led  near  to  Mount  Cobzim,  we  saw  at 
its  base  vast  hollows  and  large  masses  of  stone  de- 
tached and  scattered  here  and  ihere.  Father  Syn- 
nodius said  that  great  piles  of  stone  which  we  saw 
had  been  dug  from  three  quarries  of  marble,  of  which 
one  was  black,  another  yellow,  and  the  third  red.    We 


ft" 


300 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


found  on  the  same  Mount  Cobzim  two  other  quarries, 
one  of  which  furnished  a  yellow  marble  and  the  other 
granite,  —  more  valued  and  sought  after  than  all  the 
marbles.  This  last  quarry  is  near  a  valley  called  Tine, 
or  the  Fig  Tre©,  which  is  so  named  because  the  valley 
is  fertile  in  this  kind  of  fruit.  It  is  irrigated  by  a 
fountain  of  sweet  water,  to  which  the  wild  goats, 
the  gazelles,  the  tigers,  and  ostriches  constantly  come 
to  drink. 

As  our  journey  led  us  over  the  plain  which  is  called 
Araba,  signifying  in  Arabic  a  wagon,  I  wished  to 
know  the  origin  of  this  name.  They  told  me  that, 
formerly,  all  this  part  of  the  cou  itry  being  inhabited 
by  a  great  number  of  holy  hermits,  one  could  see 
passing  continually  wagons  loaded  with  all  kinds  of 
provisions  which  the  piety  of  the  faithful  Egyptians 
provided  for  their  brethren,  who  were  living  in  poverty 
in  the  desert,  and  that  for  this  reason  this  plain  was 
named  the  Plain  of  the  Wagons. 

We  have,  however,  another  idea  to  advance,  which 
is  that  the  kings  of  the  race  of  Pharaoh,  the  Persians, 
the  Greeks,  the  successors  of  Alexander,  and  the  Ro- 
mans, after  their  conquest  of  Egypt,  quarried  from 
the  Thebaid  Mountains  a  great  quantity  of  beautiful 
marbles,  of  which  Ptolemy  speaks,  and  caused  them  to 
be  transported  over  the  plain  of  Araba,  to  build  those 
superb  monuments  the  remains  of  which  we  see  and 
admire  even  to  this  day.  This  reason  alone  would  be 
sufficient  to  give  to  the  plain  of  Araba  the  name  of 
the  Plain  of  the  Wagons. 

We  travelled  by  moonlight  till  two  hours  after  mid 


rii 


MONASTERIES  IN  THE  DESERT. 


301 


night,  and  halted  in  the  dry  bed  of  a  torrent  to  take  a 
little  rest.  We  were  opposite  Mount  Aquabc,  which 
signifies  **  a  rough  and  fatiguing  mountain,"  as,  in 
fact,  it  is.  Persons  on  foot  make  their  journey  across 
it  and  arrive  in  less  than  ten  hours  at  the  Monastery 
of  Saint  Anthony,  after  leaving  that  of  Saint  Paul. 
We  were  obliged  to  take  fifteen  hours,  when  riding, 
from  the  necessity  there  is  of  making  a  great  circuit 
to  obtain  a  passage  through  the  gorge  of  Mount 
Cobzim. 

One  would  naturally  be  surprised,  since  it  is  only 
the  distance  of  a  short  league  from  one  monastery  to 
the  other,  that  it  is  necessary  to  take  fifteen  hours  in 
making  the  journey ;  but  he  would  be  much  more  sur- 
prised, when  he  sees  these  places,  to  find  that  these 
two  mountains  —  one  of  which  is  at  the  foot  of  Mount 
Cobzim,  at  the  west,  and  the  other  at  the  east  —  are 
separated  only  by  a  single  rock,  but  so  steep  that  it 
is  inaccessible.  This  rock,  by  its  prodigious  height, 
is  seen  from  a  great  distance,  and  seems  to  give  the 
pilgrim  notice  of  the  great  circuit  it  is  necessary  for 
him  to  make.  If  Saint  Jerome,  who  has  taken  the 
pains  to  give  us  a  detailed  accoun:  of  the  fatigues 
which  Saint  Anthony  had  to  undergo  when  he  went 
to  visit  Saint  Paul,  had  been  an  eye-witness,  as  I  am, 
of  all  these  places,  he  would  have  explained,  without 
doubt,  what  it  was  which  obliged  Saint  Anthony  to 
travel  two  entire  days  to  reach  the  cave  of  Saint  Paul, 
although  the  retreat  of  the  one  was  separated  from 
that  of  the  other  only  by  the  thickness  of  a  single 
rock. 


302 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


hi 


We  continued  our  route,  always  skirting  along  the 
side  of  Mount  Cobzim,  until  we  reached  a  road  by 
which  our  guides  conducted  us  across  it.  It  was 
equally  steep,  whether  to  climb  up  on  one  side,  or  to 
descend  on  the  other.  When  at  length  we  reached 
the  highest  point  of  the  mountain,  we  halted  for 
some  time,  to  see  with  pleasure  the  Red  Sea,  which 
was  at  our  feet,  and  the  celebrated  Mount  Sinai, 
which  bounded  our  horizon.  But,  to  have  a  nearer 
view  of  this  famous  sea,  M.  Assemanni  and  I  went 
to  it  on  foot.  We  thought,  from  the  appearance  of 
the  country,  that  we  had  only  a  short  journey  to 
make ;  but  we  found,  however,  that  it  was  two  long 
leagues  to  reach  the  sea. 

We  gazed  upon  it  attentively,  recalling  the  memory 
of  the  miracles  which  the  Great  Master  of  the  Uni- 
verse had  formerly  performed  in  behalf  of  His  people. 
We  felt  that  in  this  place,  following  the  example  of 
the  Israelites,  we  should  offer  to  the  Lord  our  thanks- 
giving for  all  the  blessings  which  we  continually  were 
receiving  from  the  Divine  Providence. 

On  the  borders  of  the  sea  we  saw  a  great  number 
of  different  kinds  of  shells,  which  are  thrown  up 
there  by  the  action  of  the  waves,  the  most  beautiful 
and  rare  of  which  we  collected.  We  found  there  also 
some  pieces  of  alabaster,  and  small  pieces  of  a  kind 
of  white  coral,  called  chdb  in  Arabic.  These  little 
pieces  of  coral  are  in  the  form  of  small,  rough 
branches,  covered  with  little  holes.  We  carried 
away  with  us  those  which  seemed  to  merit  a  place 
in  the  cabinets  of  the  curious. 


MONASTERIES  IN  THE  DESERT. 


303 


While  we  were  thus  occupied  with  these  curiosities, 
our  camel-drivers  joined  us  with  Father  Synnodius. 
I  took  advantage  of  his  company  to  gain  some  infor- 
mation with  regard  to  all  those  objects  which  we  had 
before  our  eyes.  We  had  in  perspective  four  chains 
of  mountains  and  the  Red  Sea,  which  separated  them. 
These  mountains  are  those  of  Horeb  and  Sinai,  that 
of  Cobzim,  that  of  "  the  Oil,"  and  that  of  Arabia 
Petrea,  towards  Gorondel.  The  mountains  of  Horeb 
and  Sinai  were  the  most  distant  from  us.  Father 
Synnodius  told  us  that  we  were  then  sixty  miles  from 
them.  Horeb  is  the  highest,  and  to  the  north  ;  Sinai 
is  the  lowest,  and  situated  at  the  south.  Cobzim  was 
near  us,  at  the  west.  Giabal  Ezzeit,  which  in  Arabic 
signifies  "  The  Mount  of  Oil,"  showed  itself  distinctly 
to  us,  though  at  a  great  distance.  They  find  there 
many  springs  of  the  oil  of  petroleum,  which  has  given 
to  it  the  name  it  bears.  This  mountain  is  a  continu- 
ation of  Mount  Cobzim,  which  extends  over  a  long 
space.  The  mountains  of  Arabia  Petrea,  which  closed 
our  view  on  the  side  of  the  north,  form  the  boundaries 
of  the  Red  Sea.  Its  bank,  called  to-day  Corondel,  is 
the  place  where  the  Israelites  passed  through  the  sea 
on  dry  land,  and  where  Pharaoh  and  his  army  were 
ingulfed  in  the  waves.  This  passage,  which  a  won- 
derful miracle  once  rendered  so  favorable  to  the  peo- 
ple of  God,  is  to-day  very  dangerous  by  the  continual 
rushing  of  the  waters  which  enter  into  the  gulf.  I 
have  examined  at  this  time,  as  diligently  as  was  po.s- 
sible  for  me,  the  route  which  the  Hebrews  took  in 
coming  from  Memphis  to  the  Red  Sea.     I  have  inves- 


304 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


m 


■     i 


I 


>      h 


tigated  their  passage  across  that  sea ;  and  I  have  fol- 
lowed, so  to  say,  all  their  steps. 

It  was  on  the  30th  of  May,  the  eve  of  Whitsunday, 
that  we  were  on  the  western  bank  of  the  Gulf  of 
Arabia.  This  has  difft'rent  names ;  for  they  call  it 
the  Sea  of  Cobzim,  thf  Sea  of  Jement  or  of  Mecca, 
and  the  Red  Sea.  I  shall  not  stop  to  defend  the  ety- 
mology of  this  last  name.  I  will  only  say  that  it  is 
not  derived  from  the  color  of  the  water.  I  am  cer- 
tain, on  the  contrary,  —  for  I  have  seen  it,  —  that  this 
water,  near  the  shores,  even  to  the  distance  of  two  or 
three  miles  out  to  sea,  is  of  a  grass-green.  It  receives 
its  color  from  the  quantity  of  sea-weeds  which  grow 
under  the  water.  If  you  look  at  it  still  farther  out, 
you  will  not  perceive  any  other  color  than  that  which 
is  common  to  all  these  seas. 

While  I  was  making  my  observations,  my  compan- 
ions were  employed  in  fishing.  They  spread  a  long 
net,  which  they  drew  in,  and  captured  a  large  number 
of  different  kinds  of  fish.  One  of  those  they  caught 
was  a  beautiful  sight.  It  had  fins  yellow  as  gold,  and 
its  body  was  striped  with  blue  and  gold.  The  camel- 
drivers  prepared  it  for  eating,  and  we  found  the  taste 
excellent.  Father  Synnodius  laid  in  a  large  store  of 
this  kind  of  fish,  and  of  many  others,  which  he  had 
salted  for  his  monastery.  The  salt  he  found  in  abun- 
dance on  the  sand.  They  had  only  to  dig  down  half 
a  foot  to  obtain  it. 

After  our  dinner  of  fish,  we  remounted  our  camels 
to  go  to  the  monastery  of  Saint  Paul.  We  arrived 
there  towards  six  o'clock  in  the  evening.     The  Arabs 


MONASTERIES  IN  THE  DESERT. 


305 


call  this  monastery  Ddr  il  mcfptoura,  —  which  is  to 
say,  the  Monastery  of  the  Tigers. 

The  people  of  the  country  have  given  it  this  name 
through  a  tradition  which  prevails  among  them,  that 
Saint  Anthony,  having  been  present  at  the  death  of 
Saint  Paul,  and  wishing  to  place  his  body  in  the  earth, 
two  tigers,  emerging  from  the  neighboring  forest, 
came  to  dig  the  grave  where  this  great  servant  of 
God  was  to  be  interred.  Saint  Jerome,  in  the  narra- 
tive which  he  has  given  us  of  the  death  of  this  holy 
Father  of  the  Hermits,  says  that  there  were  two  lions 
who  rendered  him  this  service.  Whichever  it  might 
be,  the  miracle  was  no  less  great.  It  is  certain,  how- 
ever, that  in  the  deserts  of  Egypt  one  rarely  sees 
lions  ;  while  tigers,  wild  goats,  ostriches,  gazelles,  and 
foxes  abound.  The  tigers  wage  continual  war  against 
the  wild  goats.  These  last  have  horns  which  are  for- 
midable to  the  tigers.  One  of  the  monks  of  Saint 
Paul  presented  me  with  the  horn  of  a  goat,  which  was 
four  spans  in  length. 

The  Monastery  of  Saint  Paul,  where  we  arrived,  is 
situated  at  the  east,  in  the  heart  (so  to  speak)  of 
Mount  Cobzim.  It  is  surrounded  by  deep  ravines 
and  sterile  hills,  the  surface  of  which  is  black.  The 
elevation  of  these  deprives  the  monastery  of  any  view 
of  the  Red  Sea,  which  is  two  or  three  leagues  distant. 
The  mountains  of  Horeb  and  Sinai  are  twenty  leagues 
distant. 

The  building  of  the  monastery  is  a  large  square. 
It  is  surrounded  by  a  garden,  but  much  smaller  than 
that  of  Saint  Anthony,  containing  the  same  kind  of 


3o6 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


I 


pbnts.  It  is  irrigated  by  salt  water,  which  passes 
through  it,  coming  from  a  neighboring  rock,  and  con- 
ducted through  an  archway.  This  I  measured,  and 
found  its  length  to  be  seventy  paces.  It  passes  under 
the  walls  which  enclose  the  monastery,  and  is  then 
distributed  to  all  places  where  it  is  necessary.  The 
monks  have  no  other  water  than  this  to  drink,  and 
they  use  it,  salt  as  it  i«.  It  was  apparently  with  the 
same  water  that  the  holy  anchorite  Paul  mixed  the 
bread  which,  according  to  ancient  tradition,  a  raven 
did  not  fail  to  bring  him  every  day  for  sixty  years. 

The  church  of  the  monastery  is  neither  large  nor 
beautiful.  But  what  so  much  commends  it  to  us  is 
that  it  contains  within  its  walls  the  cave  where  Paul, 
the  celebrated  patriarch  of  all  the  solitaries,  dead  to 
the  world  and  to  himself,  had  no  other  intercourse 
but  with  his  God.  The  cave,  'ark  and  wild,  inspires 
one  with  the  love  of  solitude,  a  contempt  for  the  gran- 
deur of  this  world,  a  desire  for  eternal  blessings,  ana 
an  entire  confidence  in  the  goodness  of  God,  who 
takes  particular  care  of  his  servants.  Paul  and  An- 
thony had  a  sensible  proof  of  this  when,  together 
employing  day  and  night  in  chanting  the  praises  of 
God  and  entreating  his  mercy,  the  Lord,  for  the  sake 
of  Anthony,  doubled  the  ordinary  support  of  Paul. 

We  entered  the  monastery  in  the  same  way  in  which 
we  gained  access  to  that  of  Saint  Anthony ;  that  is 
to  say,  by  means  of  a  pulley,  which  raised  us  Lorn  the 
ground  to  a  high  window,  which  gave  entrance  to 
the  monastery.  The  monks  were  there  waiting  for 
us.     After  having  saluted  u.n,  they  went  in  procession 


MONASTERIES  IN  THE  DESERT. 


307 


into  their  church.  They  recited  some  prayers  ;  after- 
wards they  joined  us  again,  and  conducted  us  to  the 
refectory,  where  they  presented  us  with  a  repast  very 
similar  to  that  which  we  had  at  Saint  Anthony. 

We  employed  the  rest  of  the  day  in  visiting  the 
cells,  the  garden,  and  the  other  buildings  of  the  mon- 
astery. The  Superior  took  us  to  see  the  library,  but 
the  valuable  books  and  manuscripts  had  been  re- 
moved. 

I  knew  that  they  had  in  the  monastery  a  monk, 
originally  from  Upper  Egypt,  whose  parents  I  had 
known.  I  therefore  asked  for  him,  and  he  was 
brought  to  me.  But  the  Superior  and  some  others 
of  the  monks  gathered  about  me,  in  the  fear,  as  I 
could  well  see,  lest  this  monk  should  permit  himself 
to  be  influenced  by  the  Latins.  We  took  advantage 
of  the  opportunity  —  M.  Assemanni  and  myself  —  to 
put  to  them  some  questions  which  were  calculated 
to  awaken  within  them  some  proper  fears  with  regard 
to  their  state.  Among  other  inquiries  we  made  of 
them  was,  whether  they  always  precisely  adhered  to 
the  views  in  which  their  Fathers  Paul  and  Anthony, 
of  whom  they  were  the  successors,  had  lived,  and  in 
which  they  had  died  ;  whether  they  did  not  esteem  it 
an  honor  to  be  children  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ ; 
whether  they  did  not  recognize  the  truth,  that  His 
Church  was  His  mystical  body,  of  which  His  Vicar  on 
earth  was  the  Head,  and  the  faithful  its  members } 

To  these  questions  they  replied  to  us,  as  other 
schismatics  have  elsewhere  said,  that  the  Church  was 
the   Holy  Virgin,  the  Gospel,  the   Holy  Sepulchre, 


% 


' 


muf 


I 


{H 


308 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


W 


the  heavenly  Jerusalem,  the  Sacraments,  the  Bishops 
and  Doctors  of  their  nation.  Such  is  the  ignorance 
of  these  poor  hermits.  But  what  renders  them  most 
worthy  of  pity  is  that  they  have  united  with  their 
ignorance  an  obstinacy  and  a  good  opinion  of  them- 
selves, founded  on  their  hard  and-  self-denying  life. 
In  fact,  they  mortify  their  bodies  with  continual  fasts 
and  severe  labors,  which  they  only  interrupt  to  chant 
the  Psalms.  They  sleep  in  the  hardest  manner ;  they 
live  only  on  vegetables,  badly  cooked ;  they  very 
rarely  drink  wine;  they  observe  a  rigorous  silence 
and  a  constant  seclusion.  Such  is  the  deplorable 
state  of  the  schismatic,  who  nourishes  his  pride  by 
his  hollow  and  seeming  virtues.  The  simplicity,  the 
humility,  the  docility,  which  the  Gospel  of  Jesus 
Christ  demands,  are  only  found  in  the  true  Catholic. 

As  we  arrived  at  the  Monastery  of  Saint  Paul,  on 
the  eve  of  Whitsunday,  —  which  occurred "  this  year 
on  the  31st  of  May,  —  the  monks  commenced  their 
services  the  next  day.  There  were  Vespers,  Matins, 
which  they  said  at  midnight ;  Mass,  which  they  cele- 
brated at  daybreak  ;  and  other  prayers,  by  which  the 
Copts,  and  the  greater  part  of  the  Christians  of  the 
East,  marked  the  Paschal  season.  After  noon  of 
the  same  day,  they  commenced  a  ceremony  which 
they  called  the  Prostrations.  They  began  by  very 
long  and  earnest  prayers.  While  uttering  them,  they 
constantly  prostrated  themselves,  imploring  the  mercy 
of  God.  They  called  this  ceremony  A'idel  sejoiid ; 
that  is  to  say,  The  Festival  of  the  Adorations  or  Pros- 
trations.    They  called  it   also  Aidel  ansera,  —  The 


MONASTERIES  IN  THE  DESERT. 


309 


Festival  of  the  Beginning,  —  by  which  they  convey 
the  idea  that  the  Day  of  Pentecost  was  that  of 
the  Birth  of  Christianity,  and  the  Beginning  of  the 
Preaching  of  the  Gospel. 

The  church  in  which  they  have  their  prayers  and 
all  their  ceremonies  is  not  more  than  thirty  feet  in 
length,  and  less  in  breadth.  As  it  is  entirely  sur- 
rounded by  the  rock,  it  is  lighted  only  by  a  small 
dome.  Its  walls,  from  the  roof  to  the  pavement,  are 
covered  with  large  paintings,  which  represent  scenes 
in  the  history  of  the  sacred  writers.  They  have  not 
forgotten  to  paint  the  two  tigers  who  dug  the  grave 
in  which  Saint  Anthony  deposited  the  body  of  his 
Father  in  Jesus  Christ.  The  monk  who  executed 
these  pictures  told  us  that  he  had  never  studied 
painting,  —  a  truth  of  which  his  work  was  sufficient 
proof.  We  asked  hira  where  he  had  procured  his  dif 
ferent  colors,  and  he  replied  that  he  had  derived  them 
from  the  colored  earths  which  he  found  on  the  neigh- 
boring hills. 

All  the  prayers  and  ceremonies  of  the  Festival  being 
ended,  we  took  leave  of  the  Superior  and  the  monks, 
and  returned  to  the  border  of  the  sea,  where  our  camel- 
drivers  were  waiting  for  us.  M.  Assemanni  and  I 
devoted  our  leisure  to  making  certain  observations  on 
the  Red  Sea.  This  sea  rises  and  falls  regularly  twice 
a  day,  like  the  ocean.  The  two  seas  communicate 
only  by  a  very  narrow  passage,  which  the  Arabs  call 
Bab  el  Mandel.  The  bed  of  the  Red  Sea  not  being 
very  large,  its  rise  and  ebb  is  not  very  great ;  but  it 
increases  considerably  in  the  tides  which  take  place 
at  new  or  full  moon,  and  perhaps  at  the  equinoxes. 


310 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


f 

m 

f 

1 

The  I  ith  of  June,  1716,  and  the  eleventh  day  of  the 
moon,  we  were  on  the  western  side  of  the  sea,  twenty 
leagues  from  Mount  Sinai,  and  twenty-five  from  the 
bottom  of  the  gulf,  near  Suez.  We  noticed  there  that 
the  waves  rose  in  the  evening,  from  six  o'clock  to 
midnight,  one  hundred  paces,  and  that  they  retired 
the  same  distance  from  midnight  to  six  o'clock  in  the 
morning.  In  making  our  observations,  we  saw  with 
great  pleasure  the  shores  of  the  sea,  which  are  charm- 
ing. We  quitted  them  with  regret  to  return  to  the 
Monastery  of  Saint  Anthony,  where  Fatuer  Synno- 
dius,  who  had  gone  before  us,  had  appointed  our 
meeting. 

We  arrived  there  before  sunset ;  and  Father  Syn- 
nodius,  who  had  been  half  converted  in  our  inter- 
views with  him,  gave  us  a  warmer  welcome  than  we 
had  received  at  our  first  arrival  at  his  monastery. 
We  proposed  to  him  to  conduct  us  the  next  day  to  the 
Cave  of  Saint  Anthony,  that  we  might  say  Mass  there, 
which  he  very  willingly  agreed  to  do.  The  cave  is 
distant  one  mile  from  the  monastery,  and  is  situated 
in  the  side  of  Mount  Cobzim.  We  set  out  early  in 
the  moriiing)  taking  with  us  the  vessels  for  the  altar, 
Father  Synnodius  having  charged  himself  with  pro- 
viding wine  for  the  Mass. 

The  road  from  the  monastery  to  the  Cave  of  Saint 
Anthony  is  not  an  easy  one.  It  was  necessary,  first, 
to  cross  a  deep,  wet  ditch,  filled  with  palm-trees,  reeds, 
and  wild  plants.  Then  we  climbed  over  the  rocks, 
partly  of  stone  and  partly  of  talc.  The  talc  is  very 
common  in  Egypt.     Towards  the  middle  of  the  moun- 


MONASTERIES  IN  THE  DESERT. 


3" 


tain  we  came  to  the  ruins  of  the  cell  of  th<^  blessed 
Paul  the  Simple,  whom  we  may  call  the  Thaumaturgus 
of  the  Desert.  Saint  Anthony  sent  to  him  the  de- 
moniacs and  the  sick  whom  he  could  not  himself 
heal ;  and  God  granted  to  the  prayer  of  this  humble 
and  simple  disciple  what  He  seemed  to  refuse  to 
the  eminent  holiness  of  his  master. 

After  overcoming  difficulties  and  making  wide  cir- 
cuits, we  at  last  reached  the  cave,  where  this  glorious 
Father  of  the  anchorites  presented  to  God  the  con- 
tinual sacrifice  of  his  life,  and  where  we  hoped  to  be 
able  to  offer  the  Holy  Sacrifice  of  our  altars.  The 
cave  is  a  natural  hollow  in  the  rock.  One  can  enter 
by  a  cleft,  of  ten  or  twelve  feet  in  height  and  about 
three  in  breadth.  The  hollow  is  a  cave,  dark  and 
narrow,  which  has  not  the  depth  of  more  than  twelve 
paces.  A  person  could  with  difficulty  extend  himself 
there  to  take  his  repose.  On  one  side  of  the  cave  is 
a  kind  of  step,  having  mounted  on  which,  one  is  able 
to  hold  up  his  arms  on  a  projection  of  the  stone, 
which  serves  to  lean  on.  This  step  fronts  the  east, 
and,  according  to  tradition,  it  served  for  an  oratory, 
where  the  saint,  in  a  standing  posture,  passed  his 
days  and  the  greater  part  of  his  nights  in  prayer. 

We  arranged  ourselves  in  this  solitary  place,  which 
inspires  devotion,  to  commence  the  Holy  Mass,  when 
Father  Synnodius  presented  me  with  the  wine  he  had 
brought.  The  color  and  smell  at  once  attracted  my 
attention,  and  I  asked  him  "what  kind  of  wine  it 
was."  "  It  is,"  he  answered  me,  "  the  wine  of  Ab- 
r^k6."     "  What  is  this  wine  which  you  offer  me  .'' "  I 


312 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


I. 


t 


'i  uiui 


Hi 


I 


mn  V' 


i^t^  ■  f 


replied.  "  It  is  not  the  kind  of  wine  required  for  the 
sacrifice  of  the  Holy  Mass."  In  fact,  this  pretended 
wine  is  nothing  but  an  extract  which  our  Copts  derive 
from  the  dried  raisins  which  they  import  from  Greece, 
and  which  they  soak  in  water  to  draw  out  this  wine, 
which  they  call  Abr6k6,  which,  translated  from  the 
Arabic,  means  Benediction.  It  is  sweeter  than  any 
other  kind  of  wine,  and  we  had  no  other  to  use  at  the 
altar.  I  contented  myself,  therefore,  with  saying  to 
him  "  that  this  wine  could  not  form  the  material  for 
the  Sacrament." 

We  offered  up  our  prayers  in  this  place  of  devotion, 
and  then  descended  from  the  mountain,  like  Abraham, 
without  having  consummated  the  sacrifice  which  we 
had  hoped  to  offer  to  the  Lord. 

Father  Synnodius  directed  our  attention  to  two 
little  caves,  which  are  above  the  cell  of  Saint  Anthony, 
and  which  are  ten  or  twelve  yards  distant  from  it. 
They  are  so  steep  and  the  hill  leading  to  them  so 
rough  that  none  of  us  were  willing  to  run  the  risk  of 
mounting  to  them.  They  said  that  Saint  Anthony 
often  retreated  thither  to  conceal  himself  from  the 
eyes  of  men,  who  came  from  a  great  distance  to  seek 
him  for  consultation. 

Before  our  return  to  the  monastery,  we  visited  the 
quarry  of  yellow  marble,  which  I  have  already  men- 
tioned. We  found  there  a  quantity  of  large  masses, 
which  appeared  to  have  been  cut  out  a  long  while 
ago. 

We  at  length  went  back  to  the  monastery,  which  I 
had  hardly  reached  when  I  went  in  search  of  Father 


B'^SPKl 


MONASTERIES  IN  THE   DESERT. 


Synnodius,  with  my  New  Testament  in  my  hand.  I 
caused  him  to  read  the  twenty-sixth  chapter  of  Saint 
Matthew,  where  the  Evangelist  narrates  the  circum- 
stances under  which  the  Saviour  of  the  world,  through 
His  exceeding  love  for  us,  instituted  the  Divine  Eu- 
charist, under  the  elements  of  bread  and  wine,  such 
as  comes  from  the  vine.  I  pointed  out  particularly  to 
him  this  act  of  Jesus  Christ,  giving  to  His  disciples, 
under  the  form  of  the  one  and  of  the  other,  His  body 
to  eat  and  His  blood  to  drink,  as  through  the  Council 
of  Florence  the  Universal  Church  has  declared  that 
our  bread  and  our  common  wine,  the  substance  of 
which  was  miraculously  changed  by  the  sacramental 
words  into  the  proper  substance  of  the  body  and  blood 
of  our  Saviour,  must  be  the  necessary  material  for  the 
Sacrament  ;  from  whence  I  concluded  that  their  pre- 
tended wine,  consisting  more  of  water  than  wine,  could 
not  form  the  sufficient  material  for  the  sacrifice  of  our 
altars. 

When  Father  Synnodius  seemed  to  me  suffi- 
ciently convinced  by  these  proofs,  I  took  occasion  to 
bring  before  him,  on  other  points,  the  Catholic  doc- 
trine, so  contrary  to  schismatic  opinions  ;  but  schism 
has  this  evil,  that  it  blinds  the  intellect,  hardens  the 
heart,  and  prevents  both  from  yielding,  even  in  those 
matters  wliich  appear  the  most  evident.  I  therefore 
did  not  know  what  I  could  hope  from  my  interview 
with  this  schismatical  monk. 

If  I  can  judge  by  the  marks  of  affection  and  confi- 
dence which  he  bestowed  upon  me,  I  might  form  a 
more  favorable  opinion  of  it  than  I  really  have  been 
M 


314 


HISTORICAL   SCENES, 


able  to  entertain.  He  made  every  effort  possible  to 
induce  us  to  defer  our  departure.  But,  being  obliged 
to  return  to  Cairo,  we  took  leave  of  him  and  of  the 
monks. 

After  having  left  them,  we  entered  on  the  plain  of 
Araba,  where  we  passed  an  uncomfortable  night.  The 
next  day  we  continued  our  journey.  At  sunrise  we 
saw  the  gazelles,  which  were  frisking  on  the  sand. 
But  what  chiefly  attracted  my  attention  was  an  infi- 
nite number  of  pebbles  which  covered  the  road  for  the 
distance  of  two  short  leagues.  Among  these  pebbles 
were  some  red  and  gray,  and  some  blue  and  black. 
The  surface  exposed  to  the  air  was  in  waving  lines, 
standing  out  in  relief  as  a  tissue  of  embroidery.  The 
side  towards  the  ground  was  smooth. 

If  this  matter  were  important  enough  to  inquire  into 
the  cause,  I  should  say  that  the  nitre  of  the  ground, 
melted  by  the  dew,  attached  itself  to  the  exterior  of 
these  pebbles  ;  afterwards  the  agitation  of  the  air 
insensibly  carried  to  the  surface  of  these  pebbles  the 
lightest  particles  of  nitre,  and  formed  the  furrows, 
which  the  heat  of  the  sun  changed  to  stone. 

Traversing  the  length  of  the  plain  of  Araba,  we 
reached  Mount  Keleil,  where  we  went  on  foot  to 
gather  plants  through  the  bed  of  a  torrent,  which  is 
dry  during  the  summer,  and  which  contains  a  large 
variety  of  herbs,  of  which  we  make  great  use  in  Eu- 
rope. We  laid  in  a  supply  of  these  to  take  to  Cairo. 
On  our  journey  we  saw  a  lizard,  called  oUaral,  which 
our  camel-drivers  pursued,  but  it  escaped  into  its  hole. 
This  animal  resembles  the  crocodile ;  except  that  it  is 


MONASTERIES  IN  THE  DESERT. 


315 


large 
Eu- 


much  smaller,  not  exceeding  three  or  four  feet  in 
length,  and  that  it  lives  in  the  ground.  As  it  is  fond 
of  the  milk  of  goats  and  sheep,  it  resorts  to  an  expe- 
dient to  procure  it.  It  twines  itself  firmly  by  it-j  long 
tail  about  the  legs  of  the  goat  or  sheep,  and  then  sucks 
entirely  at  its  ease. 

Having  crossed  Mount  Keleil,  we  entered  on  the 
plain  of  Baquara.  There  we  passed  the  night,  and 
the  next  day  reached  Balfad.  From  BaTad  we  went  to 
Benisonet,  which  is  on  the  other  side  of  the  Nile. 
This  we  crossed  in  a  boat  ;  for  on  the  Nile,  whether 
in  Egypt,  in  Nubia,  or  in  Fongi,  no  bridges  are  to  be 
found.  The  only  ones  built  have  been  over  some  little 
branches  of  the  Nile,  which  are  filled  with  water  in 
times  of  inundations. 

At  Benisonet  we  found  the  Bishop  of  Bh^ness^, 
who  is  named  Amba  Ibrahim.  He  received  us  in  a 
friendly  manner,  although  a  Copt ;  which  is  synony- 
mous with  saying  that  he  is  prejudiced  against  the 
Franks,  and  riveted  in  his  superstitions  and  schis- 
matical  opinions. 

After  a  rest  of  one  day  we  embarked  on  the  Nile 
to  return  to  Cairo,  which  we  reached  in  safety.  Our 
first  act  on  our  arrival  was  to  go  and  return  thanks  to 
God  for  all  the  blessings  we  had  received  from  Him 
during  our  journey  through  the  desert. 


3i6 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


XIII. 


THE  PARAGUAY   MISSION. 


1726. 


[From  the  worn-out,  stagnant  life  of  the  East,  we  turn  to  the 
forests  of  Paraguay,  and  those  ceaseless  labors  which  contrast 
so  strangely  with  the  dreary  existence  of  the  Egyptian  monks, 
as  they  droned  away  their  days  in  an  unending  round  of  services. 

About  the  middle  of  the  seventeenth  century,  this  South 
American  Mission  was  founded.  Ar/iong  its  earliest  laborers, 
perhaps,  the  name  of  Lucas  Cavallero  was  best  known  for  a 
spirit  which  resembled  that  of  Xavier.  For  years  his  untiring 
labors  went  on,  breaking  up  the  fallow  ground,  penetrating 
where  none  had  gone  before  him,  discouraged  by  no  failure,  and 
turned  back  by  no  persecution.  Others  came  at  last  to  his  aid ; 
and,  as  the  magnitude  of  the  field  became  known,  there  was  no 
lack  of  those  who  were  "baptized  for  the  dead,"  and  pressed 
forward  to  take  the  places  of  those  who  had  fallen  in  the  con- 
flict. Thus  years  passed  by  like  a  dream ;  but  if  the  Jesuit 
could  point  to  no  apparent  successes  achieved,  and  his  pathway 
was  marked  by  the  graves  of  those  who  had  been  his  fellow- 
laborers,  still  he  knew  it  was  not  in  vain,  and  he  pressed  on.  He 
was  only  part  of  a  mighty  system,  and  it  mattered  not  what  be- 
fell him ;  the  Great  Cause  to  which  he  was  vowed  would  one 
day  go  on  "from  conquering  to  conquer."  "  1  have  not  passed 
one  unhappy  day  since  my  coming  to  this  painful  mission," 
writes  one,  in  the  midst  of  privations  under  which  we  should 
suppose  human  nature  would  sink. 

But  the  hour  of  triumph,  for  which  ihey  had  struggled  even 
unto  blood,  came  at  last.     By  their  efforts  the  faith  was  preached 


THE  PARAGUAY  MISSION. 


317 


through  all  those  vast  provinces  which  are  watered  by  the  tribu- 
taries of  the  Paraguay  and  the  great  river  of  the  Amazons. 
Most  of  the  early  laborers,  indeed,  rested  in  their  bloody  graves, 
and  the  cross  reared  above  them  in  the  forest  seemed  their  only 
memorial.  Yet  it  was  not  so.  In  the  year  171 7,  in  the  single 
province  of  Guiara  alone,  between  the  rivers  Parana  and  Uru- 
guay, were  thirty-two  populous  settlements,  with  more  than  a 
hundred  thousand  Indians  baptized  by  the  Fathers  of  the  Society^ 
while  many  others  existed  between  the  Uruguay  and  the  sea. 
All  these,  for  the  next  century,  were  centres  of  light  to  the 
heathen  tribes  around. 

There  is  a  feeling  developed  in  the  following  letter  which 
shows  the  severest  trial  which  awaited  these  first  laborers  in  the 
field.  They  had  come  out  from  their  distant  homes,  prepared 
for  persecution  and  physical  suffering,  and  even  martyrdom. 
But  there  was  a  trial  worse  than  tiiese.  It  was  the  difficulty  of 
raising  that  dark  veil  which  shrouded  the  mind  of  the  savage, 
and  causing  him  to  appreciate  the  claims  of  a  higher  life.  It 
seemed  often  as  if  no  words  could  break  through  the  desolate 
gloom  which  surrounded  him.  And,  then,  more  bitter  still  was 
the  fickle  nature  of  those  for  whom  he  labored.  When  it  ap- 
peared to  the  missionary  that  success  was  about  to  crown  his 
efforts  and  the  blood  gushed  more  warmly  about  his  heart,  per- 
haps on  the  morrow  all  seemed  undone,  and  his  hoped-for 
converts  received  him  with  scornful  or  derisive  words.  These 
were  discouragements  which  awaited  the  pioneers  in  the  field, 
but  of  which  the  second  generation  of  missionaries  knew  but 
little. 

To  the  labors  of  these  earnest  men,  like  him  we  have  men- 
tioned, with  Ancieta  and  Nobrega  and  Bareze,  the  followers  of 
every  form  of  Christian  faith  have  freely  awarded  their  meed  of 
praise.  In  truth,  we  should  pity  him  who  could  read  the  record 
of  their  strivings  even  unto  death  without  a  quickening  pulse. 
They  "  sought  not  their  own,"  and,  whatever  may  have  been  their 
errors,  in  their  deep  devotedness  they  followed  in  the  footsteps 
of  their  Lord.  It  is  to  them  that  Southey  pays  his  tribute,  in 
his  •'  Tale  of  Paraguay :  "  — 


3i8 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


"  The  happier  sons  of  Paraguay, 

By  gentleness  and  pious  art  subdued, 

fiow'd  their  meek  heads  beneath  the  Jesuit's  sway, 

And  lived  and  died  in  filial  servitude. 

They  on  the  Jesuit,  who  was  nothing  loath, 

Reposed  alike  their  conscience  and  their  cares ; 

And  he,  with  equal  faith,  the  trust  of  both 

Accepted  and  discharged.    The  bliss  is  theirs 

Of  that  entire  dependence  that  prepares 

Entire  submission,  let  what  may  befall ; 

And  his  whole  course  of  life  declares 

That  for  their  good  he  holds  them  thus  in  thrall. 

Their  Father  and  their  Friend,  Priest,  Ruler,  all  in  alL 

Food,  raiment,  shelter,  safety,  he  provides  ; 

No  forecast,  no  anxieties  have  they  ; 

The  Jesuit  governs,  and  instructs  and  guides ; 

Their  part  it  is  to  honor  and  obey, 

Like  children  under  wise  paternal  sway. 

All  thoughts  and  wishes  are  to  him  confess'd  ; 

And  when  at  length,  in  life's  last,  weary  day, 

In  sure  and  certain  hope  they  sink  to  rest, 

By  him  their  eyes  are  closed,  by  h"m  their  burial  blest."] 

Letter  on  the  new  Missions  in  the  Province  of  Paraguay^ 
derived  from  the  Spanish  account  oj  Father  Jean-Patrice 
Fernandez^  of  the  Society  of  Jesus  ;  presented  to  the  Serene 
Prince  of  AsturiaSy  in  the  year  1726,  ^j  the  Father  Jerome 
Hcrran^  Proctor  of  that  Province^  to  Monsieur  M. 

Monsieur,  —  The  Province  of  Paraguay  is  about 
six  hundred  leagues  in  length.  It  is  divided  into  five 
governments  and  into  as  many  dioceses,  ruled  by 
Bishops  full  of  piety  and  zeal.  It  is  in  this  province 
that  the  Missions  to  the  Guaranis  Indians  have  been 
established.  You,  doubtless,  do  not  care  that  I  should 
attempt  to  recount  to  you  the  history  of  this  Mission 


THE  PARAGUAY  MISSION. 


319 


from  its  earliest  times.  It  would  be  useless  for  me  to 
endeavor  to  instruct  you,  as  there  has  been  a  com- 
plete history  written  by  Father  Nicolas  del  Techo,  who 
has  labored  for  many  years  in  these  painful  Missions, 
which  was  printed  at  Lidge,  in  the  year  1673. 

In  that  work  you  will  find  an  entire  detail  of  all  the 
sufferings  and  fatigues  which  it  has  cost  the  mission- 
aries to  pierce  the  almost  impenetrable  forests,  to 
seek  there,  at  the  constant  risk  of  their  lives,  the  tribes 
scattered  and  wandering,  entirely  naked,  in  these 
dense  thickets,  perpetually  at  war  with  each  other, 
having  nothing  about  them  human  but  the  form,  and 
differing  but  little  from  the  tigers  and  wild  beasts 
with  which  they  live.  You  will  see  there  the  ardent 
zeal  which  inspired  these  Apostolic  men  to  gain  the 
hearts  of  these  savages,  to  draw  them  from  their  dens 
and  caverns,  to  change  in  some  degree  their  natures, 
by  collecting  them  in  their  villages,  without  which  it 
was  not  possible  to  instruct  them,  and  thus  to  adapt 
them  to  the  claims  of  civilized  life  and  the  practices 
of  religion ;  in  a  word,  to  make  them  rational  beings, 
and  at  last  true  Christians. 

It  is  only  necessary  to  remark  that,  when  the  his- 
tory of  which  I  have  spoken  was  given  to  the  pub- 
lic, there  were  but  twenty-four  Missions  or  villages 
established  on  the  rivers  Parana  and  Uruguay.  But 
these  Missions  have  since  been  increased  by  seven 
new  ones,  much  more  populous  than  the  former  on 
account  of  the  multitudes  of  Indians  who  are  daily 
converted  to  the  faith,  and  who  display  to  us,  to  the 
life,  the  piety,  the  disinterestedness,  the  innocence, 


320 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


i  M  am  i 


'9  ■;    t 


ii 


Hi 

■j 

Hi 

1  'I 

it 

Tb||H 

'^^^^B  Sfl 

1 

and  the  sanctity  of  the  faithful  in  the  early  Church. 
There  are  sixteen  on  the  banks  of  the  Parana,  and 
fifteen  along  the  banks  of  the  Uruguay.  In  the  year 
1 71 7  there  were  in  the  different  villages  121,161 
Indians,  all  baptized  by  the  hands  of  the  missionaries. 

These  Missions  having  been  established  and  regu- 
lated in  a  manner  which  excites  to  this  day  the 
admiration  of  the  Governors  and  Bishops  when  they 
visited  them,  they  extended  their  views  towards  the 
infinite  numbers  of  other  barbarous  tribes  which  are 
spread  over  this  vast  continent  and  through  those 
immense  forests  which  are  found  between  the  river 
Paraguay  and  the  kingdom  of  Peru. 

At  the  sources  of  the  rivers  Guapay  and  Picolmayo, 
which  empty  at  last  into  the  great  river  Paraguay,  and 
near  the  borders  of  Peru,  we  find  the  place  of  refuge 
of  the  Chiriguanes,  who,  about  two  centuries  ago, 
abandoned  the  Province  of  Guayra,  which  was  their 
native  land.  The  frightful  mountains  which  they  in- 
habit r.xtend  for  fifty  leagues  to  the  east  of  the  city 
of  Tarija,  aid  more  <^han  a  hundred  to  the  north. 
And  now  we  will  relate  the  cause  ot  this  emigration. 

During  the  time  that  the  Kings  of  Castile  and  of 
Portugal  were  endeavoring  to  extend  their  rule  in  the 
West  Indies,  a  brave  Portuguese,  full  of  zeal  for  the 
service  of  his  master,  King  John  II.,. wished  to  signal- 
ize his  devotion  by  new  discoveries.  He  left  Brazil 
with  three  other  Portuguese,  equally  brave,  with  whom 
he  had  associated  himself ;  and,  after  having  marched 
three  hundred  leagues  into  the  country,  he  reached 
the  banks  of  the  river  Paraguay.     Here,  having  en- 


1^ 


THE  PARAGUAY  MISSION. 


321 


ion. 
of 
the 
the 
nal- 
kazil 
hom 
ched 
ched 
en- 


gaged two  thousand  Indians  to  accompany  him,  he 
advanced  more  than  five  hundred  leagues,  and  pene- 
trated as  far  as  the  borders  of  the  Empire  of  the 
Incas.  After  having  amassed  much  gold  and  silver, 
he  commenced  his  journey  on  his  return  to  Brazil. 
There  he  expected  to  enjoy  all  the  pleasures  which 
his  great  fortune  would  enable  him  to  procure.  But 
it  seemed  he  was  ignorant  of  the  disposition  of  the 
people  with  whom  he  was  associated  ;  for,  while  he 
was  off  his  guard,  he  v/as  cruelly  massacred,  and  lost 
both  his  life  and  riches. 

These  savages,  not  doubting  that  an  action  so 
flagrant  would  draw  upon  them  the  Portuguese  arms, 
thought  rather  to  escape  the  chastisement  which  their 
perfidy  merited,  and  so  retired  to  the  mountains,  where 
they  hwe  since  remained.  They  were  scarcely  four 
thousand  in  number  when  they  penetrated  thither, 
and  to-day  they  count  more  than  twenty  thousand, 
who  live  there  without  fixed  habitations,  without  law, 
without  order,  without  humanity  ;  wandering  in  troops 
in  the  forest ;  laying  waste  the  neighboring  nations, 
whose  inhabitants  they  carry  off,  that  they  may  drive 
them  into  their  country,  where  they  fatten  them,  as 
they  do  cattle  in  Europe,  and,  after  some  days,  slaugh- 
ter them,  to  feed  on  their  flesh  in  the  frequent  feasts 
they  give.  They  claim  that  they  have  destroyed  or 
devoured  more  than  a  hundred  and  fifty  thousand 
Indians. 

It  is  true  that,  after  the  arrival  of  the  Spaniards  in 
Peru,  —  from  which  they  are  not  far  distant,  —  they 
by  degrees  broke  off  from  the  practice  of  this  form 


14* 


u 


322 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


\ 


of  barbarism,  but  their  spirit  is  unchanged.  They 
are  always  equally  perfidious,  treacherous,  fickle,  in- 
constant, and  ferocious.  To-day  they  are  Christians 
and  to-morrow  they  are  apostates ;  having  become 
again  the  most  cruel  enemies  of  the  preachers  of  the 
Christian  faith,  and  more  obstinate  than  ever  in  their 
heathenism. 

But  the  more  inhuman  and  barbarous  these  nations 
were,  so  much  the  more  was  the  zeal  of  the  mission- 
aries awakened  to  labor  for  their  conversion.  At  the 
same  time  they  flattered  themselves  that,  if  they  were 
able  to  subject  them  to  the  yoke  of  the  Gospel,  the 
door  would  be  open  to  them  to  the  great  Province  of 
Chaco,  and  the  communication  would  become  more 
easy  between  the  new  Missions  and  the  old  ones  to 
the  Guaranis  Indians. 

It  is  about  a  century  since  the  Fathers  Emmanuel 
de  Ortega,  Martin  del  Campo,  and  Didaque  Martinez 
generously  exposed  their  lives  in  devoting  themselves 
to  so  barbarous  a  people,  with  the  design  of  human- 
izing them  by  degrees,  and  disposing  them  to  be  in- 
structed in  the  truths  of  revelation.  But  their  labors 
were  entirely  in  vain. 

Other  missionaries  at  different  times  succeeded 
them,  one  after  the  other,  and  undertook  their  conver- 
sion, with  the  same  courage,  but  with  as  little  success  ; 
and,  although  this  land  has  been  watered  by  the  blood 
of  these  Apostolic  men,  it  has  never  shown  any  fertility. 

At  length,  scarcely  five  years  ago,  in  a  glimmer  of 
hope  that  these  Indians  would  be  found  more  teach- 
able, three  new  missionaries  entered  their  country. 


THE  PARAGUAY  MISSION, 


323 


The  only  fruit  of  this  so  recent  enterprise  was  to  pro- 
cure a  glorious  death  for  the  venerable  Father  Lizardi, 
who  expired  under  a  cloud  of  arrows  which  these  sav- 
ages discharged  against  him. 

For  a  long  time  before  this  last  attempt,  we  had 
ceased  to  cultivate  a  land  so  ungrateful,  as  it  was  only 
destroying  the  laborers,  and  losing  time  which  might 
be  much  better  employed  among  other  tribes,  more 
teachable,  though  perhaps  equally  barbarous.  They 
turned,  then,  to  the  side  of  the  Province  of  the  Chi-  / 
quites.  This  region  contains  a  large  number  of 
numerous  tribes,  whom  the  Spaniards  have  named 
Chiquites,  only  because  the  door  of  their  cabins  is  low 
and  very  small,  so  that  they  are  not  able  to  enter  but 
by  gliding  in  and  shrinking  themselves  up.  They 
use  dwellings  of  this  kind  to  keep  out  the  mosquitoes 
and  other  troublesome  insects,  with  which  the  country 
is  infested,  particularly  in  the  rainy  season. 

It  was  towards  the  close  of  the  last  century  that 
Father  Joseph  de  Arce  abandoned  the  Chiriguanes, 
in  accordance  with  the  orders  he  had  received  from 
his  Superiors,  and,  by  almost  impracticable  roads, 
enterec'  the  country  of  the  Chiquites.  There,  after 
having  collected  a  number  of  Indians  whom  he  had 
sought  in  '  'e  forests  with  incredible  fatigues,  he 
established  a  large  settlement,  to  which  he  gave  the 
name  of  Saint  Xavier.  His  zeal  was  immediately 
seconded  by  Father  de  Zea  and  other  missionaries, 
who  came  to  share  his  labors  ;  and  in  the  year  1726 
he  counted  already  in  these  barbarous  lands  six  large 
villages  of  Indians  converted  to  the  faith. 


I 


I 


324 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


In  the  same  year  of  1726,  he  resolved  to  penetrate 
towards  the  south,  into  the  country  of  the  Zamucos, 
where  he  had  well-founded  hopes  to  establish  a  new 
village  of  the  people  of  that  nation,  and  of  their 
neighbors  the  Vgaranos,  who  together  numbered  more 
than  twenty-four  hundred  Indians.  This  settlement 
was  to  be  placed  under  the  protection  of  Saint  Ig- 
natius. 

You  can  well  imagme,  Monsieur,  to  what  labors  an 
evangelical  laborer  must  give  himself  up,  to  go  in 
search  of  these  savages  in  their  mountains.  "  While 
I  was  in  Europe,"  writes  one  of  these  missionaries, 
"  I  thought  it  would  be  sufficient  to  carry  into  this 
missionary  field  a  great  zeal  for  the  conversion  of 
souls ;  but,  since  I  have  had  the  happiness  to  be 
there,  I  have  learned  that  it  is  necessary  also  to 
be  exercised  for  a  long  while  in  the  inward  denial  of 
self,  in  an  entire  separation  from  all  things  here 
below,  in  the  mortification  of  the  senses,  in  a  con- 
tempt for  life,  and  in  the  entire  surrender  of  myself 
the  hands  of  Providence." 

At  each  settlement,  when  the  number  of  Indians  is 
great,  there  are  ordinarily  two  missionaries  occupied 
in  civilizing  and  instructing  the  neophytes  in  Chris- 
tian truths.  One  of  them,  each  year,  makes  excur- 
sions of  thirty  and  forty  leagues  in  length  to  the 
residence  of  the  savage  tribes,  to  gain  them  to  Jesus 
Christ,  and  to  draw  them  to  the  settlement.  He 
departs  with  nothing  but  his  breviary  under  his  left 
arm,  and  a  large  cross  in  his  right  hand,  with  no  other 
provision  but  his  confidence  in  God  and  what  he  can 


!!" 


THE  PARAGUAY  MISSION. 


325 


find  on  his  route.  He  is  accompanied  by  twenty  or 
thirty  Christian  converts,  who  act  as  guides  and  inter- 
preters, and  who  sometimes  discharge  the  duty  of 
preachers.  With  their  aid,  with  a  hatchet  in  his 
hand,  he  opens  for  himself  a  passage  through  the 
dense  forests.  If  he  finds  himself  (which  often  hap- 
pens) on  the  borders  of  lakes  and  marshy  grounds 
which  have  to  be  passed,  he  is  the  one  who  always, 
with  the  water  to  his  waist,  marches  at  their  head,  by 
his  example  encouraging  them  to  follow  him.  He  is 
the  first  to  climb  the  steep  rocks  and  precipices.  He 
is  the  first  to  penetrate  into  caves,  at  the  risk  of  find- 
ing there  wild  beasts,  instead  of  the  Indians  whom 
he  seeks.^ 

In  the  midst  of  these  fatigues  he  has  often,  for  his 
entire  support,  only  some  handfuls  of  Indian  corn, 
some  roots,  or  some  wild  fruits  which  they  call  mo- 
taqui.  Often,  to  quench  his  thirst,  he  can  find  noth- 
ing but  the  dew  gathered  from  the  leaves  of  trees. 
At  night  he  sleeps  in  a  hammock  suspended  from  the 
trees.  I  do  not  speak  of  the  constant  danger  of 
losing  his  life  by  the  hands  of  the  Indians  who  are 
sometimes  in  ambush,  armed  with  arrows  and  clubs, 

1  '•  Behold  him  on  his  way  !  the  Breviary 

Which  from  his  girdle  hangs,  his  only  shield. 

That  well-known  habit  is  his  panoply  ; 

That  Cross,  the  only  weapon  he  will  wield. 

By  day,  he  bears  it  for  his  staff  afield  ; 

By  night,  it  is  the  pillow  of  his  bed. 

No  other  lodging  these  wild  woods  can  yield 

Than  Earth's  hard  lap,  and,  rustling  overhead, 

A  canopy  of  deep  and  tangled  boughs  far  spread." 

Southey's  Tale  of  Paraguay. 


326 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


l! 


to  beat  to  death  the  unwary  who  come  into  their 
country,  and  whom  they  regard  as  their  enemies. 

We  must  acknowledge,  however,  the  particular  pro- 
tection of  God,  who  watched  for  their  safety  and  for 
the  wants  of  the  missionaries.  It  happened  more 
than  once,  when  they  found  themselves  reduced  to  an 
extreme  necessity,  that  the  game  and  the  fish  came, 
as  it  were,  of  themselves,  to  present  themselves  to  the 
Indians  who  formed  their  party.  At  other  times, 
when  the  savages  were  most  excited  against  the 
missionary  who  had  placed  himself  in  their  power, 
they  suddenly  changed  their  cruel  resolutions,  or  their 
strength  left  them  at  the  instant,  and  their  enfeebled 
arms  were  not  able  to  discharge  their  arrows. 

But,  however  painful  and  however  dangerous  might 
be  these  journeys,  the  Gospel  laborer  found  himself 
fully  recompensed  for  his  pains  and  sufferings  when 
he  returned  in  triumph  to  the  settlement,  accompa- 
nied by  three  or  four  hundred  Indians  ;  with  the  hope 
of  gaining,  in  the  next  year,  many  more,  who,  more 
defiant,  and  fearing  they  had  come  to  surprise  them 
to  make  them  slaves,  will  not  surrender  themselves 
before  they  have  sent  some  of  their  people  to  see 
what  was  taking  place  in  the  settlement,  and  to  return 
and  give  them  an  account.  What  consolation  for  him 
to  find  himself  again  in  the  midst  of  his  dear  neo- 
phytes, whose  number  has  been  increased  by  these 
cares,  and  to  be  again  in  the  place  where,  by  the  pious 
liberality  of  persons  who  have  interested  themselves 
in  the  conversion  of  so  many  savage  tribes,  he  has  an 
opportunity  of  recruiting  his  strength,  to  apply  him- 
self with  new  zeal  to  their  instruction ! 


THE  PARAGUA  Y  MISSION. 


327 


It  is  certain  that  these  labors  surpassed  human 
strength,  and  that  it  would  not  have  been  possible  to 
sustain  them  if  one  had  not  been  upheld  by  a  Divine 
Power.  It  is  not  less  astonishing  that,  among  all  the 
great  number  of  missionaries  who  toiled  for  so  many 
years  in  these  laborious  missions,  we  can  count  but 
three  or  four  who  were  broken  down  by  the  fatigues  ; 
and  the  greater  part,  after  having  labored  for  twenty- 
five  or  thirty  years,  retained  as  much  strength  and 
vigor  as  those  who  in  Europe  enjoyed  all  the  conven- 
iences of  life.  Such  was  Father  Jean  Baptiste  de  Zea, 
who  passed  the  greater  part  of  his  life  in  teaching 
these  savage  tribes,  and  who,  at  the  age  of  sixty-five 
years,  did  not  appear  to  be  more  than  forty. 

The  ferocity  of  these  people,  and  the  extraordinary 
pains  it  was  necessary  to  take  to  subject  them  to  the 
yoke  of  the  Gospel,  were  not  sufficient  to  repulse  a 
man  of  true  Apostolic  spirit.  Such  an  one,  however, 
found  in  that  country  other  obstacles,  to  vanquish 
which  gave  him  greater  trouble,  and  sensibly  wore 
upon  his  spirit. 

The  first  obstacle  came  from  the  Spaniards,  whose 
settlements  were  not  far  distant  from  these  Indian 
tribes  whose  conversion  we  had  undertaken.  Al- 
though in  general  the  Spanish  nation  has  distin- 
guished itself  among  other  nations  by  its  piety  and 
its  sincere  attachment  to  the  Faith,  still  it  cannot  be 
disguised  that,  in  the  multitude  of  members  of  which 
it  is  composed,  some  are  found,  as  elsewhere,  whose 
lives  are  but  little  regulated,  and  whose  criminal  ac- 
tions are  at  variance  with  the  sanctity  of  their  religion. 


\{ 


l\h 


1 

1 
.  I  ■ 


It 


328 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


The  neighborhood  of  these  Spanish  settlements  at- 
tracted the  Indians  to  them  for  their  petty  trading ; 
and,  as  those  gross  spirits  are  more  susceptible  of  bad 
than  of  good  impressions,  they  paid  attention  only  to 
the  disorders  of  which  they  were  witnesses,  and  which, 
on  their  return,  they  imparted  to  their  countrymen. 
The  result  was,  that  when  the  missionary  explained 
to  them  the  points  of  the  Christian  Faith  where  they 
had  incurred  their  reprimands  by  their  neglect  of  cer- 
tain articles  of  this  law,  they  replied,  "  You  treat  us 
with  too  much  severity.  Why  do  you  prohibit  us, 
who  are  new  Christians,  from  what  is  permitted  those 
of  your  nation  who  were  born  and  have  grown  old  in 
the  bosom  of  Christianity } " 

Whatever  forcible  arguments  one  might  employ  to 
refute  this  false  reasoning,  an  equally  strong  preju- 
dice, seconded  by  their  natural  tendency  to  vice,  had 
taken  such  an  entire  control  of  their  spirits,  that  it 
was  with  the  greatest  possible  difficulty  we  could 
uproot  it.  It  was  for  this  reason  that  we  removed 
the  settlements  of  the  neophytes  as  far  as  possible 
from  the  Spanish  villages.  For  the  same  reason,  in 
more  than  one  reign,  the  kings  of  Spain  have  issued 
the  most  severe  ordinances,  by  which  they  have  for- 
bidden any  Spaniard  to  put  his  foot  within  the  old 
settlements  of  the  Guaranis  Indians,  with  the  exception 
of  the  governor  and  the  ecclesiastical  prelates,  who 
by  the  duties  of  their  office  were  obliged  to  make  the 
visits. 

The  spirit  of  interest  and  of  unbounded  craving  to 
enrich  themselves,  which  prevails  among  some  of  the 


I 


THE  PARAGUAY  MISSION. 


329 


gto 
the 


merchants,  was  another  obstacle  very  prejudicial  to 
the  progress  of  the  faith.  These  men,  insatiable  in 
their  pursuit  of  riches,  entered  the  Indian  territory 
by  force  of  arms,  pitilessly  killed  those  who  offered  any 
resistance,  and  carried  off  others,  even  going  so  far  as 
to  snatch  infants  from  their  mothers'  breasts ;  and  then 
they  conducted  to  Peru  this  crowd  of  unhappy  beings, 
bound  and  fettered,  where  they  used  them  as  beasts 
of  burden  in  the  mines,  and  for  the  most  painful 
labors,  or  otherwise  sold  them  in  the  public  markets. 

To  authorize  this  unworthy  traffic,  they  published 
that  the  Indians  had  nothing  human  about  them  but 
the  form  ;  that  they  were  in  reality  brutes,  destitute  of 
reason  and  incapable  of  being  admitted  to  Baptism 
or  to  the  other  Sacraments.  These  calumnious  reports 
were  spread  with  so  much  effect,  and  produced  so 
much  scandal  with  regard  to  these  good  people,  that 
the  holy  Bishops,  and,  among  others,  the  Lord  Juan 
de  Garcez,  Bishop  of  Hazcala,  informed  Pope  Paul  III. 
of  it,  who  declared  by  a  special  bull  that  these  Indians 
were  rational  beings,  whom  they  ought  to  instruct  in 
the  truths  of  Christianity  as  other  nations  of  the  world, 
and  administer  to  them  the  Sacraments.  Indos  ipsos, 
utpote  veros  homines,  ?wn  solum  Christiance  fidei  capaces 
existere  decemimus  et  declaramus,  etc. 

The  Catholic  kings  could  not  learn  without  indig- 
nation of  excesses  so  flagrant  and  so  contrary  to 
humanity.  They  forbade  this  iniquitous  commerce  by 
frequent  edicts,  under  the  most  severe  penalties. 
They  ordered,  under  the  same  penalties,  that  these 
Indians  should  be  gathered  in  and  incorporated  under 


330 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


i} 


i! 


ill  ~ 


the  Crown  ;  that  they  should  be  regarded  and  treated 
in  the  same  manner  as  the  rest  of  their  subjects,  with 
express  injunction  to  the  viceroys  and  the  governors  to 
enforce  the  execution  of  these  edicts,  and  to  render 
an  account  to  the  Court. 

Notwithstanding  these  repeated  ordinances,  which 
were  as  yet  quite  recent  when  we  began  establishing 
the  first  settlements  among  the  Chiquites,  a  company 
of  European  merchants  was  organized  in  Peru  to 
engage  in  this  abominable  traffic.  The  Father  de 
Arce,  whom  we  regard  as  the  founder  of  these  new 
Missions,  was  a  man  whom  neither  fear  nor  any  other 
human  consideration  could  hold  back  when  he  could 
do  any  thing  for  the  cause  of  God.  Not  being  able 
to  endure  that  his  ministry  should  be  thus  troubled 
and  that  any  one  should  violate  with  impunity  the 
most  sacred  laws  of  humanity  and  religion,  he  com- 
plained bittefly  to  the  Council  of  Chuquisaca  of  the 
infraction  of  these  royal  ordinances.^ 

1  ..."  in  fact,  though  not  in  name  a  slave, 

The  Indian  from  his  family  was  torn  ; 

And  droves  on  droves  were  sent  to  find  a  grave 

In  woods  and  swamps,  by  toil  severe  outworn, 

No  friend  at  hand  to  succor  or  to  mourn, 

In  death  unpitied,  as  in  life  unbless'd. 

Often  had  kings  essayed  to  check  the  ill 

By  edicts  not  so  well  enforced  as  meant ; 

A  present  power  was  wartting  to  fulfil 

Remote  authority's  severe  intent. 

To  Avarice,  on  its  present  purpose  bent, 

The  voice  of  distant  Justice  spake  in  vain  ; 

False  magistrates  and  priests  their  influence  lent, 

The  accursed  thing  for  lucre  to  maintain  : 
O  fatal  thirst  of  gold  !  O  foul  reproach  fc    Spain  !  " 

Southey's  Tale  of  Paraguay. 


THE  PARAGUAY  MISSION. 


331 


The  merchants  were  sustained  and  patronized  by 
an  individual  of  great  riches  and  high  reputation,  and 
the  tribunal,  through  a  false  fear  of  causing  trouble, 
closed  its  eyes  on  this  great  disorder.  It  had  not 
even  sufficient  force  to  make  any  enactments,  but 
contented  itself  with  referring  the  whole  affair  to  the 
viceroy  of  Peru,  who  is  at  the  same  time  Captain- 
General  of  all  these  provinces.  At  that  time  the  office 
was  held  by  the  Prince  of  Santo  Bueno. 

This  nobleman,  under  the  full  influence  of  religion 
and  piety,  at  once  took  the  most  efficacious  and 
prompt  measures  to  remedy  the  evil.  He  sent  his  or- 
ders, which  prescribed  confiscation  of  all  their  property 
and  banishment  from  the  province,  for  any  who  should 
henceforth  dare  to  undertake  any  enterprise  against 
the  liberty  of  these  Indians;  and  the  governors  who 
should  tolerate  so  criminal  an  abuse  he  condemned 
to  be  entirely  deprived  of  their  charge  and  subjected 
to  a  fine  of  twelve  thousand  piastres.  These  orders, 
so  exact,  at  once  put  an  end  to  this  infamous  traffic, 
and  the  Indians  in  a  more  peaceful  state  were  deliv- 
ered from  all  vexation. 

Another  obstacle  much  more  prejudicial  to  the  con- 
version of  these  heathen  tribes,  and  which  continually 
thwarted  the  zeal  of  the  missionaries,  was  presented 
by  the  Mamelus  of  Brazil.  Perhaps  you  have  never 
heard  those  people  mentioned  ;  and  it  would  be  well, 
therefore.  Monsieur,  to  inform  you  with  regard  to 
them. 

At  the  time  the  Portuguese  made  the  conquest  of 
Brazil,   they  established   there    many  colonies,  one 


332 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


\  \ 


among  which  they  named  Piratininqua,  or,  as  others 
called  it,  the  village  of  St.  Paul.  Its  inhabitants,  not 
having  any  European  females  with  them,  took  Indian 
women  to  their  homes.  The  mixture  of  this  vile  blood 
with  the  noble  Portuguese  blood  produced  children 
who,  in  process  of  time,  degenerated,  and  whose  in- 
clinations and  sentiments  were  entirely  opposed 
the  candor,  the  generosity,  and  the  other  virtues  A 
the  Portuguese  nation.  Little  by  little  they  fell  into 
such  disrepute  by  the  dissoluteness  of  their  habits 
that  the  neighboring  towns  were  thought  to  ruin  their 
reputation  if  they  continued  to  have  any  commune 
cation  with  the  town  of  St.  Paul ;  and,  although  the 
inhabitants  had  originally  been  Portuguese,  they 
judged  them  unworthy  to  bear  a  name  which  they 
dishonored  by  their  infamous  actions,  and  they  called 
them  Mamelus.  .    ,^ 

For  a  time  they  remained  faithful  to  their  w 
and  their  religion,  through  the  care  of  Father  i-*.-. 
chieta  and  his  companions,  who  had  a  college  founded 
in  this  village ;  but  finding  the  Fathers  a  serious 
obstacle  in  the  way  of  their  disorders,  they  adopted 
the  course  of  breaking  it  up,  and,  to  free  themselves 
from  these  importunate  censors  of  their  vices,  they 
drove  them  from  the  town.  In  their  place  they  took 
into  favor  the  dregs  of  all  nations,  and  their  village 
presently  became  the  asylum  and  the  lurking-place  of 
crowds  of  brigands  —  Italians,  Dutch,  Spanish,  &c.  — 
who  in  Europe  had  escaped  he  merited  punishment 
of  their  crimes,  or  who  sought  to  live  there  with  im- 
punity a  life  of  licentiousness.     The  balminess  of  the 


THE  PARAGUAY  MISSION. 


333 


lent 
im- 
the 


climate  and  the  fertility  of  the  soil,  which  furnished 
all  the  necessaries  of  life,  served  to  increase  still  more 
their  propensity  to  every  kind  of  vice. 

However,  it  was  not  easy  to  conquer  them.  Their 
town  is  situated  within  three  leagues  of  the  sea,  on 
a  steep  rock  surrounded  by  precipices,  and  could  only 
be  approached  by  a  very  narrow  pathway,  where  a 
handful  of  men  could  hold  a  large  army  in  check. 
At  the  base  of  the  mountain  are  some  villages  inhab- 
ited by  merchants,  through  whom  they  do  their 
trading.  This  fortunate  situation  fostered  in  them 
the  spirit  of  independence,  so  that  they  were  obedient 
to  the  laws  and  ordinances  of  the  throne  of  Portugal 
as  long  as  they  were  in  accordance  with  their  interests, 
and  it  was  only  in  a  case  of  pressing  necessity  that 
they  had  recourse  to  the  protection  of  the  king. 

These  brigands,  the  greater  part  without  faith  or 
law,  and  who  could  bi  restrained  by  no  authority, 
spread  themselves  like  >  ♦^orrent  of  liceiitiousness  over 
the  countries  of  the  Indi.  s,  who,  having  nothing  but 
arrows  to  oppose  to  their  muskets,  could  make  but  a 
feeble  resistance.  They  carried  off  a  large  number 
of  these  unhappy  beings  to  reduce  them  to  the  most 
severe  servitude.  They  pretend  (what  is  scarcely 
credible^  that  in  the  space  of  one  hundred  and  thirty 
years  they  have  destroyed  or  made  slaves  of  two 
millions  of  Indians,  and  that  they  have  depopulated 
more  than  a  thousand  leagues  of  country,  as  far  as 
the  river  Amazons.  The  terror  which  they  spread 
among  these  people  has  rendered  them  more  savage 
than  they  were  before,  and  forced  them  either  to  conceal 


334 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


1 


themselves  in  the  caves  and  hollows  of  the  mountains,  or 
to  disperse  themselves,  on  the  one  side  and  the  other, 
through  the  most  gloomy  passages  of  the  forests. 

The  Mamelus,  seeing  that  by  ihis  dispersion  their 
prey  had  escaped  their  hands,  had  recourse  to  a  most 
diabolical  expedient,  the  evil  effects  of  which  the  mis- 
sionaries feel  to  this  day,  in  the  mistrust  it  has  created 
in  the  minds  of  these  tribes.  They  imitated  the 
course  pursued  by  these  Apostolical  men  in  winning- 
these  savages  to  Jesus  Christ.  Three  or  four  of  these 
Mamelus  disguised  themselves  as  Jesuits  ;  one  of 
them  taking  the  title  of  the  Superior,  and  the  others 
calling  themselves  Payguasu,  which,  in  the  Guaranis 
language,  signifies  Great  Father.  They  erected  a 
large  cross,  and  displayed  to  the  Indians  the  images 
of  our  Lord  and  the  Holy  Virgin.  They  made  them 
presents  of  many  of  those  trifles  which  these  people 
value,  and  persuaded  them  to  leave  their  miserable 
retreats,  to  join  with  other  tribes  in  forming  one 
large  village  where  they  should  be  in  greater  security. 
After  they  had  gathered  a  large  number,  they  amused 
them  until  the  arrival  of  their  troops,  when  they 
attacked  these  miserable  beings,  placed  them  in  irons, 
and  conducted  them  into  their  colony. 

The  first  attempts  of  these  brigands  were  against 
the  Christian  village  which  had  been  established  at 
the  sources  of  the  Paraguay  River,  in  the  province  of 
Guayra ;  but  they  did  not  retain  any  great  advantages 
from  the  quantity  of  slaves  they  had  captured  there. 
We  have  seen  an  authentic  register,  in  which  it  is 
stated  that  of  three  hundred  thousand  Indians  they 


THE  PARAGUAY  MISSION. 


335 


at 
of 
;es 
ire. 
is 
iey 


had  enslaved  in  the  course  of  five  years,  there  were 
not  twenty  thousand  remaining.  These  unfortunate 
beings  almost  entirely  perished,  either  from  the  expos- 
ure of  the  journey  or  the  bad  treatment  they  received 
from  their  pitiless  masters,  who  overwhelmed  them 
with  labors,  either  in  the  mines  or  the  cultivation  of 
the  ground,  depriving  them  of  the  necessary  food,  and 
often  causing  them  to  sink  under  the  blows  they  in- 
flicted on  them. 

The  fury  with  which  these  Mamelus  desolated  the 
Christian  villages  obliged  the  missionaries  to  save 
what  remained  of  the  neophytes,  and  to  transport 
them  to  the  banks  of  the  rivers  Parana  and  Uruguay, 
where  they  are  now  established  in  thirty-one  villages. 
Although  separated  so  far  from  their  cruel  enemies, 
they  did  not  find  themselves  safe  from  their  f^-equent 
incursions.  Their  hostilities,  however,  have  at  length 
ceased,  since  the  King  of  Spain  has  permitted  to  the 
neophytes  the  use  of  arms,  and  each  village  has  drilled 
a  certain  number  in  military  exercises.  These  Indians, 
in  their  turn,  have  rendered  themselves  feared,  and 
they  have  gained  many  victories  over  the  Mamelus. 

The  diversity  of  languages  among  these  different 
tribes  is  another  obstacle  most  difficult  to  surmount, 
and  which  requires  great  exercise  of  patience  and 
virtue  with  those  evangelical  laborers.  It  is  difficult 
to  believe  that  each  step  one  finds  little  villages  of 
one  hundred  families  or  more,  whose  language  has  no 
agreement  wi*;h  that  of  the  people  who  surround 
them.  When,  by  order  of  King  Philippe  IV.,  the 
Fathers  d'Acugna  and  de  Artieda  made  a  tour  of  all 


336 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


i 


the  nations  which  are  on  the  banks  of  the  river 
/.mazons,  they  found  at  least  a  hundred  and  fifty  lan- 
guages, differing  more  widely  from  eac^  other  than 
the  Spanish  does  from  the  French.  In  the  villages 
established  among  the  Maxes,  where  there  are  thirty 
thousand  Indians  converted  to  the  faith,  they  speak 
fifteen  varieties  of  language  which  bear  no  resem- 
blance to  each  other.  In  the  new  villages  of  the 
Chiquites,  there  are  neophytes  speaking  three  or  four 
different  languages.  It  is  for  this  reason,  that  in 
order  that  the  instruction  mav  be  uniform,  we  take 
care  they  shall  all  learn  the  language  of  the  Chiquites. 

When  one  advances  farther  among  the  different 
tribes,  it  becomes  necessary  to  accommodate  one's  self 
to  their  language.  Thus,  the  new  missionaries,  besides 
the  language  of  the  Chiquites,  are  obliged  to  learn  also 
that  of  the  Morotocos,  which  is  in  use  among  the 
Zamucos  Indians,  and  that  of  the  Guarayens,  which 
is  the  same  that  they  speak  in  the  old  Missions  of  the 
Guaranis  Indians. 

You  must  acknowledge.  Monsieur,  that  it  is  neces- 
sary to  be  armed  with  strong  courage  to  bear  up 
against  such  great  difficulties,  and  to  be  animated  by 
a  lively  zeal  to  contend  against  such  formidable  pains 
and  dangers.  But  a  missionary  is  well  compensated 
and  soon  forgets  his  fatigues,  when  he  has  the  conso- 
lation of  seeing  all  the  Christian  virtues  practised 
with  fervor  by  men  who,  a  little  time  before,  had 
scarcely  any  thing  about  them  ♦^hqf  was  human,  and 
who  were  only  occupied  in  satisfying  their  brutal 
appetites.  It  is  only  necessary  to  hear  the  language 
of  these  Apostolical  men. 


' '  ■ ', 


ii  M' 


THE  PARAGUAY  MISSION. 


337 


leces- 
ir  up 

by 

I  pains 

isated 

pnso- 

Ictised 

had 
I,  and 
Ibrutal 
Iguage 


"  It  is  nothing,"  said  one  of  them,  "  that  I  should  suf- 
fer voluntarily  for  the  sake  of  those  Indians,  when  we 
are  witnesses  of  the  docility  of  our  neophytes,  the  ardor 
and  attachment  they  manifest  for  every  thing  which 
concerns  the  service  of  God,  and  their  faithful  obedi- 
ence to  all  the  requirements  of  the  Christian  law. 
They  have  entirely  severed  themselves  from  fraud, 
robbery,  intemperance,  revenge,  impurity,  and  many 
other  vices  which  are  firmly  rooted  in  the  heart  of 
these  heathen  nations.  There  is  no  spirit  of  selfish- 
ness among  them,  and  with  this  vice  how  many  others 
are  banished  !  I  dare  to  assure  you,  without  the  fear 
that  I  should  be  accused  of  extravagance,  that  these 
men,  abandoned  formerly  to  the  grossest  vices,  years 
after  their  conversion  recalled  to  me  the  innocence 
and  holiness  of  the  primitive  Christians." 

"  It  would  be  difficult  for  me  to  describe  to  you," 
said  another  missionary,  "with  what  assiduity  and 
ardor  they  assist  at  all  the  exercises  of  devotion. 
They  have  a  singular  aptitude  in  learning  to  explain 
the  truths  of  religion,  and  these  truths  awaken  in  their 
hearts  the  most  profound  sentiments  of  penitence." 

It  is  the  custom  at  the  Missions,  when  the  sermon 
is  finished,  to  pronounce,  in  a  loud  voice,  an  Act  of 
Contrition,  which  sets  forth  the  motives  most  power- 
ful to  awaken  sorrow  at  having  offended  God,  and 
during  this  time  the  church  resounds  with  their  sighs 
and  sobbings.  This  vivid  repentance  of  their  sins 
is  generally  followed  by  austerities  and  macerations, 
which  they  would  carry  to  an  excess  if  we  did  not 
take  care  to  moderate  them. 
'5  V 


33^ 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


It  is,  above  all,  at  the  Tribunal  of  Penitence  that  I 
could  fully  appreciate  their  delicacy  of  conscience. 
They  were  even  dissolved  in  tears  while  accusing 
themselves  of  faults  so  trifling  that  I  could  often 
doubt  whether  they  formed  a  fit  subject  for  absolu- 
tion. If  they  accidentally  committed  any  sin,  although 
the  most  inconsiderable,  ihey  immediately  quitted  their 
occupation,  no  matter  how  pressing,  to  repair  to  the 
church,  and  purify  themselves  by  the  Sacrament  of 
Penance. 

In  each  village  we  made  choice  of  some  neophytes, 
who  were  the  oldest  and  most  respected,  to  prtserve 
good  order.  Some  among  them  were  charged  with 
guarding  the  conduct  and  manners  of  the  other 
neophytes  ;  for  we  cannot  but  believe  that  in  so  great 
a  multitude  some  could  be  found  who  would  fall  away 
in  conduct.  If  they  discovered,  what  was  exceedingly 
rare,  that  some  one  had  committed  a  scandalous  sin, 
they  clothed  him  in  the  penitential  dress,  and  con- 
ducted him  to  the  church,  publicly  to  ask  pardon  for 
his  sin,  and  they  imposed  on  him  a  severe  penance. 
Not  only  did  the  guilty  submit  to  this  reparation  with 
docility,  but  we  have  sometimes  seen  others,  and  even 
the  catechumens,  after  having  committed  secretly 
the  same  fault  which  was  known  only  to  themselves, 
to  come  publicly  and  accuse  themselves  of  it  with 
tears,  praying  with  importunity  that  they  might  have 
the  same  penance  imposed  on  themselves. 

When  we  admitted  them  to  the  Feast  of  the  Eu- 
charist, they  did  not  approach  it  until  long  and  fervent 
preparation,  and  they  studied  to  preserve  the  fruit  of 


THE  PARAGUAY  MISSION. 


339 


the  grace  they  had  received.  When,  some  time  after, 
we  asked  them  if  they  had  not  fallen  into  the  same 
sins  of  which  they  had  accused  themselves  before 
Communion,  they  were  surprised  that  any  one  should 
put  to  them  such  a  question.  *'  How  could  it  hap- 
pen," they  replied,  "  that,  after  having  been  nourished 
by  the  body  of  Jesus  Christ,  one  could  fall  into  the 
same  faults  ?" 

Three  times  a  day,  at  morning,  mid-day,  and  in  the 
evening,  all  the  young  assembled  to  chant  in  two 
choirs  the  most  devout  prayers,  and  to  repeat  the 
instructions  which  had  been  given  them  in  the  Chris- 
tian doctrines.  Nothing  can  be  more  edifying  than 
the  quietness  and  modesty  with  which  they  assist  at 
the  services  of  Sunday  and  the  festivals.  When  they 
go  to  their  labor  in  the  morning,  and  when  they 
return  to  the  village  in  the  evening,  they  never  fail 
to  adore  the  Holy  Sacrament  and  to  salute  the  Holy 
Virgin,  whom  they  regard  as  their  Mother,  and  for 
whom  they  have  the  most  tender  devotion.  They 
celebrate  her  festivals  with  pomp  and  the  music  of 
their  instruments  ;  and  they  are  scrupulous  to  com- 
mence no  action  without  first  making  the  sign  of  the 
Cross. 

At  twilight,  and  when  they  cease  from  their  work, 
all  the  streets  of  the  village  resound  with  the  pious 
songs  which  the  young  boys  and  girls  chant,  while  the 
men  and  the  women  separately  recite  the  Rosary  in 
two  choirs. 

It  is,  above  all,  in  the  grand  solemnities  that  their 
piety  shows  forth  to  the  greatest  advantage.     During 


340 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


the  time  set  apart  in  the  Church  to  recall  the  remem- 
brance of  the  sufferings  of  the  Saviour  in  His  Passion, 
they  endeavor  to  represent  its  entire  history,  and  to 
give  an  outward  expression  to  the  feelings  of  penitence 
and  compassion  with  which  they  are  penetrated.  On 
the  evening  of  Holy  Thursday,  after  having  listened 
to  a  sermon  on  the  Passion,  they  go  in  procession  to 
a  kind  of  Mount  Calvary.  Some  bear  a  heavy  cross 
upon  their  shoulders ;  others  have  their  foreheads 
encircled  with  crowns  of  thorns  ;  they  march  thither 
with  their  arms  extended  in  the  form  of  a  cross. 
Many  practise  other  acts  of  penitence ;  while  tlje 
march  is  closed  by  a  long  procession  of  children,  who 
walk  two  and  two,  and  carry  in  their  hands  the  differ- 
ent instruments  of  our  Lord's  suffering.  When  they 
arrive  at  Mount  Calvary,  they  prostrate  themselves  at 
the  foot  of  the  Cross  ;  and,  after  having  renewed  their 
different  acts  of  contrition,  of  love,  of  hope,  &c.,  they 
make  a  public  declaration  of  their  inviolable  fidelity 
to  the  service  of  God. 

When  the  Festival  of  Corpus-Christi  approaches, 
they  prepare  themselves  some  days  beforehand  to  cele- 
brate it  with  all  the  splendor  that  their  poverty  allows. 
They  go  to  the  chase,  and  kill  as  many  birds  and 
wild  beasts  as  possible.  They  ornament  the  front  of 
their  habitations  with  branches  of  palms,  skilfully 
intermingled  with  other  kinds  of  branches,  with  bor- 
ders of  the  most  beautiful  flowers  of  their  gardens, 
and  feathers  of  different  colors.  They  arrange  tri- 
umphal arches  at  certain  distances  one  from  the 
other,  which,  although  rural,  do  not  fail  to  be  very 


THE  PARAGUAY  MISSION. 


341 


pleasing.  They  strew  leaves  and  flowers  in  all  the 
streets  through  which  the  Holy  Sacrament  must  pass, 
and  they  place  at  intervals  the  animals  they  have 
killed,  such  as  stags,  tigers,  and  lions,  to  show  in  this 
way  that  all  creatures  must  pay  homage  to  the  Sover- 
eign Master  of  the  universe  who  made  them.  Oppo- 
site to  their  residence  they  expose  to  view  Indian 
corn  and  other  grains  with  which  they  intend  to  sow 
their  fields,  that  the  Lord  may  bless  them  as  He 
passes.  In  fine,  by  the  modesty  and  piety  with  which 
they  follow  in  the  procession,  they  give  the  most  gen- 
uine testimony  of  their  faith  towards  this  great  mys- 
tery of  the  love  of  God  for  men.  Many  of  the 
heathen  in  the  neighborhood,  whom  they  usually  in- 
vite to  assist  in  this  ceremony,  touched  by  so  religious 
a  spectacle,  have  renounced  their  heathenism,  asked 
to  be  settled  in  the  village,  and  to  be  admitted  into 
the  ranks  of  the  catechumens. 

One  thing  which  fills  these  good  neophytes  with  a 
tender  recognition  of  their  Lord  is  the  comparison 
they  often  make  between  the  sweet  liberty  of  the 
children  of  God,  which  they  enjoy,  and  the  ferocious 
and  brutal  life  which  they  lived  under  the  tyrannical 
rule  of  the  Devil.  It  is  this  also  which  inspires  them 
with  an  ardent  zeal  to  procure  the  same  happiness  for 
other  heathen  tribes,  even  for  those  towards  whom 
they  had  inherited  from  their  fathers  and  drawn  in 
with  their  milk  an  implacable  hatred. 

Besides  those  who  accompany  the  missionaries 
when  they  make  their  tours  through  the  forests 
inhabited  by  so  many  of  these  savages,  we  can  see 


ij^^ 


mufm 


342 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


many  more,  each  year,  who,  when  the  rainy  season  is 
over,  spread  themselves  through  all  the  neighboring 
lands  to  preach  Jesus  Christ  to  the  heathen.  The 
fatigues  and  dangers  inseparable  from  excursions  of 
this  kind  are  not  able  to  quench  their  zeal,  but  only 
seems  to  render  it  more  ardent.  Even  death,  suffered 
in  this  cause,  becomes  the  object  of  their  desires. 
We  can  count  more  than  a  hundred  neophytes  who 
have  lost  their  lives  in  this  work  of  love. 

There  prevails  among  them  a  holy  emulation  as  to 
who  shall  be  the  instrument  of  converting  the  greatest 
number  of  heathen.  The  day  when  they  return  to 
the  mission,  accompanied  by  a  large  number  of  Indi- 
ans whom  they  have  gained  to  Jesus  Christ,  is  a  day 
of  festival  and  public  rejoicing.  There  are  nothing 
but  caresses  and  friendly  offices  which  they  heap  on 
these  new  guests.  Each  one  is  eager  to  minister  to 
their  wants.  A  charity  so  beautiful  in  a  short  time 
sweeps  away  the  natural  love  which  they  have  for 
their  native  land  ;  and  it  is  in  this  way  that  the  old 
Missions  increase  and  new  ones  are  established.^ 

1  "  On  earth  they  offer'd,  too,  an  easy  life 

To  those  who  their  mild  lessons  would  obey, 
Exempt  from  want,  from  danger,  and  from  strife  ; 
And  from  the  forest  leading  them  away, 
They  placed  them  underneath  the  Virgin's  sway, 
A  numerous  fellowship,  in  peace  to  dwell ; 
Their  high  and  happy  office  there  to  pay 
Devotions  due,  which  she  requited  well, 
Their  heavenly  Guardian  she,  in  whatsoe'er  befell. 

"  To  this  great  family  the  Jesuit  brought 

His  new-found  children  now  ;  for  young  and  old 


i! 


THE  PARAGUAY  MISSION, 


343 


For  a  long  time  we  had  been  seeking  to  open  a  way 
through  that  expanse  of  country  which  extends  between 
the  city  of  Tarija  and  the  river  Paraguay.  It  seemed 
as  if  nothing  could  be  more  important  for  the  welfare 
of  all  these  Missions  ;  for,  this  way  being  once  opened, 
they  could  communicate  with  each  other  much  more 
easily,  and  mutually  render  aid.  Now,  to  reach  the 
Missicms  of  Paraguay,  or  those  of  the  Guaranis  or  of 
the  Chiquites,  it  is  necessary  to  descend  the  river, 
even  as  far  as  Buenos  Ayres,  to  traverse  the  whole 
Province  of  Tucuman,  and  to  penetrate  a  long  dis- 
tance into  Peru.  Thus  it  happened  that  the  Father 
Provincial  was  obliged  to  undergo  the  fatigue  of  a 
journey  of  twenty-five  hundred  leagues,  in  place  of 
which  the  journey  could  have  been  shortened  one 
half,  if  he  could  have  taken  the  route  across  the  coun- 
tries which  lie  between  the  Missions  of  the  Chiquites 
and  those  of  Paraguay.  It  was  an  enterprise  which 
had  been  often  undertaken,  but  always  failed. 

Once,  when  we  had  penetrated  some  distance  into 
these  countries,  we  were  stopped  by  the  Indians,  who, 
distrusting  our  object  to  discover  the  river  Paraguay, 
opposed  us  with  all  their  force,  and  obliged  the  mis- 
sionaries to  return.     It  happened,  at  length,  that  there 


He  deem'd  alike  his  children,  while  he  wrought 
Yor  their  salvation,  seeking  to  unfold 
The  saving  mysteries  in  the  Creed  enroU'd, 
To  their  slow  minds  that  could  but  ill  conceive 
The  import  of  the  mighty  truths  he  told. 
But  errors  they  had  none  to  which  to  cleave, 
And  whatsoe'er  he  tells  they  willingly  believe." 

Southe/s  Tale  of  Paraguay. 


344 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


was  a  catechumen  of  the  same  nation,  who  employed 
himself  with  so  much  energy  and  zeal  among  his 
countrymen  that  they  determined  to  embrace  the 
faith.  We  took  advantage,  therefore,  of  so  favorable 
a  conjuncture. 

It  was  in  the  year  1 702  that  the  Fathers  Francois 
Hervas  and  Michel  de  Yegros  set  out,  with  the  cate- 
chumen and  forty  Indians,  without  any  other  provision 
than  their  confidence  in  Divine  Providence.  This  did 
not  fail  them  ;  and,  during  the  journey,  hunting  and 
fishing  abundantly  supplied  them  with  all  the  sub- 
sistence that  was  necessary.  They  were  very  well 
received  in  three  villages  of  the  nation  of  the  cate- 
chumen, the  inhabitants  of  which  had  previously  been 
opposed  to  their  enterprise.  Thus  they  freely  pur- 
sued their  journey,  leaving  behind  them  the  catechu- 
men, who  had  been  wounded  by  a  thorn  which  had 
entered  his  foot.  They  did  not  think  that  his  hurt 
was  at  all  dangerous  ;  nevertheless,  he  died  in  a  few 
days  from  the  effects  of  his  wound. 

After  very  great  difficulties,  which  these  two  mis- 
sionaries encountered  in  making  their  way  through 
the  woods,  in  climbing  high  mountains,  arid  passing 
lakes  and  swamps  full  of  mire,  without  counting  the 
disquietude  and  continual  fear  lest  they  should  fall 
into  the  hands  of  the  savages,  they  at  last  reached 
the  banks  of  a  river,  which  they  supposed  to  be  the 
Paraguay,  or  at  least  a  branch  of  it,  and  there  they 
planted  a  large  cross.  We  discovered  afterwards  that 
they  were  mistaken,  and  what  they  took  to  be  a  river 
was  only  a  great  lake,  which  ended  in  a  thick  forest  of 
palm-trees. 


:!ii 


THE  PARAGUAY  MISSION. 


345 


In  the  belief  that  they  had  discovered  the  road  so 
greatly  desired,  Father  Nugnez,  who  was  then  the 
Provincial,  made  choice  of  five  of  the  former  mission- 
aries to  the  Guaranis  to  travel  the  length  of  the  river 
Paraguay,  and  find  on  its  bank  the  place  where  they 
had  planted  the  Cross  on  the  coast  of  the  Chiquites. 
These  missionaries  were  the  Father  Barthelemy 
Ximenes,  who  died,  full  of  years  and  good  works, 
July  2,  1 7 17,  Father  lean  Baptiste  de  Zea,  Father 
Joseph  de  Arce,  Father  Jean  Baptiste  Newman, 
Father  Fran9ois  Hervas,  and  the  Brother  Sylvestre 
Gonzales.  As  the  voyage  which  they  made  on  this 
great  river  throws  light  on  the  geography  of  the  dif- 
ferent countries  which  it  waters,  I  am  going  to  give 
the  journal  which  was  kept  by  one  of  these  mis- 
sionaries :  — 

We  set  out  —  he  says  —  on  the  lOth  of  May,  1703, 
from  the  port  of  our  village  of  the  Purification, 
whence,  after  having  passed  by  Antigui,  we  landed, 
on  the  27th  of  the  same  month,  at  Itati.  The  Father 
Gervais.  a  Franciscan,  who  was  Cur6  of  this  borough, 
received  us  in  the  most  courteous  manner.  Thence 
we  continued  our  voyage  towards  the  river  Paramini, 
at  the  place  where  the  Parana  empties  into  the  river 
Paraguay.  The  high  winds  which  prevail  there,  and 
which  were  head  winds  for  us,  retarded  us  and  caused 
us  great  fatigue  ;  so  that  we  did  not  land  at  the  port  of 
the  Assumption  until  the  27th  of  June,  where  we  took 
a  rest  of  four  days  at  the  college  which  we  have  in 
this  village.  We  had  prepared  one  large  barque,  four 
smaller  ones,  two  piroques,  and  one  canoe. 
15* 


346 


HISTORIC  A  L  SCENES. 


111 


Jii 


We  embarked  again ;  and,  after  having  proceeded 
some  leagues,  we  discovered  at  a  little  distance  some 
canoes  of  the  Payaguas  Indians,  who  without  doubt 
came  on  a  voyage  of  discovery.  We  were  very  anx- 
ious to  open  communication  with  them,  and  to  engage 
them,  if  it  were  possible,  by  some  proofs  of  friendship 
which  might  induce  them  to  lay  aside  their  hostility. 
For  this  purpose  Father  Newman  departed  in  the 
canoe  with  Brother  Gonzales  ;  but,  when  they  had 
almost  come  up  with  the  Indians,  they  took  to  flight, 
crying  with  all  their  strength,  —  Pck  phnonda,  ore 
Camaranda  Buonos  Aires,  viarupi.  This  means  that 
we  were  not  of  their  people,  but  cf  '\  nation  living  in 
the  neighborhood  of  Buenos  Ayres,  who  had  caused 
so  many  Indians  to  perish. 

Father  Newman,  seeing  so  little  success  resulting 
from  his  demonstrations,  contented  himself  with  land- 
ing on  the  bank  of  the  river,  and  hanging  on  tne 
branches  of  a  tree  some  trifles  of  little  value,  but 
which  are  highly  prized  by  these  savages.  These 
little  presents,  which  they  immediately  secured,  reas- 
sured them  ;  and  four  of  them  approached  one  of  our 
boats,  and  left  there,  in  their  turn,  some  mats  of  reeds 
which  were  very  beautiful  and  of  very  delicate  work- 
manship. 

One  of  the  neophytes,   named  Anicet,  who  acted 
as  our  interpreter,  full  of  zeal  for  the  conv^^rsior^ 
the  heathen,  judged  by  the  sensibility  of  t^ 
guas  that  their  soft    and  affable  disposi 
make  it  easy  to  produce  some  impress  on  tb    i 

hearts.     But  he  did  not  know  how  full  these  pp  pie 


THE  PARAGUAY  MISSFON. 


347 


are  of  perfidy.  On  the  I2th  of  July  he  approached 
some  of  these  Indians  who  were  in  sight ;  and,  while 
he  was  seeking  by  little  presents  to  gain  their  friend- 
ship, a  large  body  of  Payaguas,  filling  two  canoes, 
came  out  of  an  ambuscade  where  they  were  concealed, 
and  rushed  up  to  Anicet  and  his  companions,  whom 
they  beat  to  death  with  heavy  blows  of  their  clubs,  and 
then  at  once  fled  with  the  greatest  speed.  We  learned 
too  late  of  this  sad  occurrence.  Some  of  our  Indians 
went  to  the  place  where  this  massacre  had  taken  place, 
and  there  they  found  the  dead  bodies  of  their  dear  com- 
panions. The  next  day  we  celebrated  their  funeral  rites, 
with  the  sweet  hope  that  God  would  have  mercy  upon 
them,  and  would  recompense  the  love  with  which  they 
had  exposed  their  lives  to  rescue  these  savages  from 
the  darkness  of  heathenism. 

The  Payaguas,  seeing  that  we  did  not  seek  to  inflict 
vengeance  upon  them  for  this  so  cruel  action,  became 
in  consequence  more  audacious.  They  appeared  the 
next  day  in  great  numbers  in  a  prodigious  quantity  of 
canoes,  formed  into  two  squadrons.  The  one  made 
for  the  bank,  and  all  those  who  were  in  it  landed. 
The  others  ranged  about  the  shores  of  the  river,  with- 
out any  of  them  daring  to  attack  us.  It  was  only 
under  cover  of  the  night  that  they  cast  stones  and 
showered  their  arrows  upon  us.  But  our  neophytes 
presently  drove  them  to  flight,  and  it  was  only  at  a  great 
distance  that  they  continued  to  watch  us.  It  was  a 
great  blessing  that  thev  were  not  joined  by  the  Guai- 
curus,  another  savage  tribe,  but  much  more  brave  and 
hardy,  and  naturally  enemies  of  the  Christian  name. 


348 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


It  would  have  been  difficult  for  us  to  have  escaped 
the  snares  which  they  would  have  set  foi  us  in  a  river 
which,  in  this  place,  is  covered  with  islands,  where 
they  could  be  easily  concealed  in  ambush. 

On  the  6th  of  August  we  reached  the  mouth  of  the 
river  Xexui.  It  is  by  this  route  that  the  Mamelus  came 
to  make  their  irruption  on  some  of  our  ancient  Missions, 
which  they  destroyed.  On  the  19th  we  approached  the 
country  of  the  Payaguas,  the  inhabitants  of  which  had 
left  it  a  little  before  to  go  to  a  large  island  that  was 
opposite.  This  country  belonged  to  a  cacique  of  the 
Payaguas,  named  Jacayna,  who  kept  there  some  of  his 
vassals  employed  in  the  manufacture  of  canoes. 

On  the  2 1st  we  found  a  small  fort  surrounded  by 
palisades,  with  three  large  crosses  raised  above  it. 
At  first,  we  thought  that  this  must  be  the  work  of  the 
Mamelus  ;  but  we  subsequently  found  it  was  the  Paya- 
guas, who,  having  so.ne  idea  of  the  virtue  of  the 
Cross,  had  erected  those  we  saw,  to  deliver  them 
from  the  multitude  of  tigers  which  infested  the  country. 
A  little  while  afterwards,  we  saw  on  the  bank  twelve 
of  these  savages,  who  did  not  think  of  disturbing  us ; 
but  what  surprised  us  was,  that  about  the  30th  of 
August,  when  we  arrived  at  the  mouth  of  the  river 
Tapotii,  we  saw  there  two  canoes  of  the  Guachicos 
Indians.  The  mouth  of  this  river  is  distant  thirty 
leagues  from  that  of  the  Piray.  But  before  arriving 
there,  it  is  necessary  to  pass  very  rapid  currents,  which 
terminate  in  a  long  reef  of  rocks.  We  saw  there 
twelve  of  this  tribe,  very  tall  and  well  formed,  and 
having  naturally  a  more  agreeable  manner  than  art 


THE  PARAGUAY  MISSION. 


. 


could  give  them.  At  this  place  the  Guaicurus  lighted 
their  fires,  to  warn  the  neighboring  tribes  that  they 
saw  the  enemy  appearing. 

At  six  leagues  from  thence  is  the  Lake  Nengetures, 
into  which  a  river  empties,  which  descends  from  the 
country  inha.bited  by  the  Guamas.  These  people  are 
in  some  sort  the  slaves  of  the  Guaicurus.  They  make 
this  the  breeding-place  for  their  mules  and  horses  ; 
they  cultivate  the  earth  and  plant  tobacco,  which 
grows  there  in  abundance.  There  are  in  this  country 
many  other  tribes,  and  one  among  them  named 
Lenguas,  who  speak  the  same  language  as  the 
Chiquites. 

Two  leagues  above  the  lake  is  the  mouth  of  the 
Inboimboi.  There  was  formerly  near  this  river  a 
Christian  settlement,  which  was  under  the  govern- 
ment of  Father  Christophile  de  Arenas  and  of  Father 
Alphonse  Arias.  This  last,  having  been  sent  for  by 
the  Guatos  Indians  to  administer  baptism,  fell  into  the 
hands  of  a  party  of  the  Mamelus,  who  put  him  to  death 
with  blows  of  their  muskets.  Father  Arenas  had  some 
time  afterwards  the  same  fate.  He  encountered  the 
Mamelus,  who  abused  him  so  badly  that  he  survived 
his  wounds  onl}'  a  few  days. 

From  thence,  as  far  as  Xarayes,  one  sees  only  wide 
plains  where  the  crops  grow  naturally  and  without 
cultivation  ;  and  thither  the  Payaguas,  the  Caracuras, 
and  many  other  neighboring  tribes,  come  to  procure 
their  provisions.  On  22d  of  September  we  passed 
bf.tween  the  mountains  of  Cunayequa  and  of  Ito, 
where  is  the  residence  of  the  Sinamacas.     The  faith 


350 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


^U 


k.  ... 


||ll 


if*     is 

lill   :.. 

1^ 

was  preached  to  these  tribes  by  the  Fathers  Juste  Man- 
silla  and  Pierre  Romero.  These,  with  Brother  Mat- 
thieu  Fernandez,  were  afterwards  massacred  by  the 
Chiriguanes  on  account  of  their  hatred  of  the  Chris- 
tian law,  because  it  forbade  their  having  more  than 
one  wife. 

Five  leagues  further  on,  we  reached  an  island,  to 
which  two  Cacequis,  named  Jarachacu  and  Orapichi- 
gua,  had  retired  with  ^heir  vassals,  the  Payaguas. 
As  soon  as  they  perceived  us,  they  despatched  six 
canoes  to  the  large  island  of  the  Orejones  ;  and  imme- 
diately we  saw  far  and  wide  a  great  smoke  rising,  the 
signal  which  they  c  dinarily  used  to  warn  the  neigh- 
boring tribes  to  be  on  their  guard.  These  nations  all 
make  common  cause  with  the  Payaguas,  because  they 
furnish  them  with  tobacco,  skins,  cloths,  and  other 
necessaries  of  life,  which  are  in  abundance  where  they 
live. 

We  afterwards  passed  near  the  mountains  of  Tara- 
guipita.  This  country  is  inhabited  by  many  Indian 
tribes.  Four  of  our  missionaries  had  preached  the 
Gospel  there :  namely,  Father  Ignace  Martenez,  a 
Spaniard ;  Father  Nicolas  Henard,  a  Frenchman  ; 
and  the  Fathers  Diego  Ferrer  and  Juste  Mansilla, 
Flemish.  The  first,  after  a  time,  departed  for  the 
Mission  of  the  Chiriguanes  ;  and  the  two  others  sank 
under  the  fatigues  and  labors  they  endured,  and  died 
among  these  savages,  deprived  of  all  human  consola- 
tion, as  the  great  apostle  of  the  Indies,  Saint  Francis 
Xavier,  died  on  the  Island  of  Sancian.  The  last  for 
only  a  short  time  bore  up  against  the  same  fatigues, 


THE  PARAGUAY  MISSION. 


351 


but  finished  his  life  in  the  exercise  of  his  Apostolical 
duties. 

After  having  gone  eight  leagues  beyond  the  Tobati, 
we  found  ourselves  at  the  mouth  of  the  Mbotetei.  It 
is  by  this  river  that  the  Mamelus  had  been  accustomed 
to  enter  the  river  Paraguay.  From  thence  one  sees 
the  vast  plains  which  extend  even  to  Xarayes.  These 
were  anciently  inhabited  by  the  Guaicurus  and  the 
Itatines  ;  but  these  Indians,  finding  themselves  con- 
tinually exposed  to  the  irruptions  and  the  barbarity  of 
the  Mamelus,  abandoned  their  country  and  took  refuge 
in  the  thick  forests,  which  extended  from  the  Lake 
Jaragui  to  a  distance  of  fifty  leagues  to  the  boundaries 
of  Peru. 

At  last,  on  the  29th  of  September,  we  reached  the 
place  where  the  river  Paraguay  divides  into  two 
branches,  and  forms  a  large  island.  As  we  there 
found  ourselves  in  the  country  of  the  Chiquites,  we 
endeavored  to  discover  the  Cross  which  our  two  mis- 
sionaries had  erected  the  preceding  year. 

On  the  1 2th  of  October,  having  cast  anchor,  we 
saw  some  Payaguas,  who,  although  intimidated  by  a 
sight  of  our  Indians,  did  not  fail  to  approach  us  and 
offered  us  the  fruits  of  their  country.  We  responded 
to  this  courtesy  by  some  small  presents  we  made 
them. 

On  the  17th  we  cast  anchor  in  sight  of  Lake  Jaragui, 
which  is  in  jmrt  hidden  from  view  among  the  woods 
and  mountains,  as  far  as  the  Orejones.  The  plains 
on  either  side  of  the  river  are  filled  with  dwellings  of 
the  Indians.     They  are  more  numerous  on  the  left 


352 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


side,  because  the  marshes  and  lakes  by  which  they 
are  surrounded  render  them  in  some  sort  inaccessible, 
and  protect  these  tribes  from  the  incursions  of  the 
Mamelus. 

On  the  1 8th,  having  left  Lake  Tuquis  on  the  right, 
we  reached  the  mouth  of  the  river  Paraiguazu,  which 
discharges  its  waters  with  great  force.  A  little  far- 
ther we  encountered  a  canoe,  in  which  was  a  young 
Indian,  well  formed  and  robust.  He  was  not  afraid 
of  coming  to  our  barque.  We  gave  him  some  evi- 
dences of  friendship ;  and  although  he  knew  nothing 
of  our  language,  and  we  nothing  of  his,  yet  he  was 
able  to  make  us  understand  by  signs  that  he  was  of 
the  Mbiritu  tribe,  and  that  it  was  three  days'  journey 
to  his  village.  We  saw  the  attachment  he  had  formed 
for  us,  by  the  pain  with  which  he  left  us.  We  there- 
fore invited  him  to  come  into  our  boat.  He  accepted 
the  offer  with  evident  pleasure,  and  came  aboard  with 
his  arms  and  his  mat,  which  was  of  very  delicate  work- 
manship. He  regaled  our  Indians  with  a  large 
capwai'a  which  he  had  killed.  This  is  a  river  hog, 
very  similar  to  a  land  hog.  Seeing,  at  the  end  of 
three  days,  that  we  sailed  along  the  length  of  the 
river,  so  as  not  to  lose  ourselves  among  the  islands 
which  covered  it,  he  took  leave  of  us.  with  the  promise 
that  he  would  shortly  rejoin  us.  He  received  with 
thankfulness  some  little  presents  which  we  gave  him 
to  present  to  the  cacique  and  the  principal  men  of  his 
tribe.  This  Indian  ^^ept  his  promise,  and  was  not  very 
long  in  returning  ;  but,  wishing  to  cross  a  branch  of 
the  river  during  a  stormy  time,  he  was  wrecked  in  our 


r 

s . 


THE  PARAGiTA''  MISSION. 


353 


sight.  He  was  saved  from  the  danger  he  ran,  by 
falling  into  the  hands  of  the  Payaguas,  who  caused 
him  to  be  conducted  to  his  village. 

At  last,  on  the  31st  of  October,  we  entered  the 
famous  lake  of  Xarayes,  into  which  many  navigable 
rivers  fall.  It  is  commonly  supposed  that  in  this  lake 
the  river  Paraguay  takes  its  rise.  At  the  entrance  of 
the  lake  is  situated  the  famous  island  of  the  Orejones, 
where  there  was  formerly  a  very  numerous  nation, 
which  has  been  destroyed  by  the  Mamelus.  The 
climate  of  this  island  is  temperate  and  very  healthy, 
although  it  is  at  the  height  of  seventeen  degrees  and 
some  minutes.  According  to  common  opinion,  it  ex- 
tends forty  leagues  in  length  and  ten  in  breadth. 
There  are  others  there  which  are  much  larger.  Its 
soil  is  fertile,  although  it  is  full  of  mountains,  all 
covered  with  beautiful  trees,  adapted  to  use  in  all 
kinds  of  work. 

During  the  month  and  a  half  that  we  were  occupied 
on  land  and  water  in  seeking  for  the  Cross  which  had 
been  set  up,  and  which  would  indicate  the  road  to  the 
Missions  among  the  Chiquites,  all  our  efforts  were  in 
vain,  and  we  did  not  discover  the  first  vestige  of  it. 
In  the  meanwhile,  the  season  was  advancing ;  and  there 
was  fear  lest,  the  river  falling  each  day,  our  barque 
might  be  injured  by  the  rocks  which  were  concealed 
under  the  water.  It  was  necessary,  therefore,  to  think 
of  a  return,  with  the  feeling  of  chagrin  that  we  had 
taken  so  much  pains  with  so  little  result.  Some  of 
our  missionaries,  however,  petitioned  the  Father  Su- 
perior that  he  would  leave  them  on  the  island,  where, 

w 


354 


HISIVRICAL  SCENES. 


^■\\^ 


during  the  winter,  they  could  make  new  efforts  to 
succeed  in  this  discovery  ;  but  the  prospect  of  success 
was  so  uncertain,  and  the  risk  so  great,  that,  after 
having  praised  their  zeal,  he  declared  that  he  could 
not  assent  to  their  wishes. 

We  therefore  left  this  lake,  which  some  of  us 
named  the  Sweet  Sea.  But  since,  as  we  have  already 
intimated,  we  had  entered  on  the  season  when  the 
river  considerably  diminishes,  we  were  in  constant 
fear  of  anchoring  in  shallow  water,  or  of  touching  the 
rocks,  which  in  some  plaices  are  almost  on  a  1l  v-el 
with  the  surface  of  the  water.  Happily  we  made  a 
hundred  leagues  without  any  accident. 

We  discovered  three  canoes,  which  came  towards 
us  by  rowing,  containing  four  Indians,  one  Payagua 
and  three  Guaranis,  who  had  formerly  received  Bap- 
tism. As  soon  as  they  approached  our  barque,  they 
sprang  on  board  of  it  with  much  agility,  and  told  us 
that  they  had  determined  to  spend  the  rest  of  their 
days  with  us,  whatever  pain  their  desertion  might 
give  theii'  caciques.  In  this  last  particular,  however, 
they  were  mistaken,  for  the  two  caciques  whose  vas- 
sals they  were,  struck  with  the  devotion  with  which 
they  had  abandoned  their  goods  and  their  parents,  to 
live  in  the  strict  observance  of  the  Christian  law,  were 
impressed  with  the  highest  esteem  for  them  and  for 
the  missionaries. 

These  two  caciques  joined  our  barque ;  and  having 
been  received  with  confidence,  as  if  they  had  been 
old  acquaintances,  seated  themselves  familiarly  before 
the  Father  Superior.     The  Father,  taking  advantage 


■Hi 

I  ft; 


El  \ 


THE  PARAGUAY  MISSION. 


355 


Ing 
ken 
)re 
^ge 


of  their  favorable  dispositions,  opened  to  them  the 
importance  of  salvation,  and  the  necessity  of  embrac- 
ing the  Christian  faith,  to  gain  it.  He  caused  them 
to  realize  that,  beyond  the  happiness  they  would 
secure  in  living  as  reasonable  beings,  in  becorriing  the 
children  of  God  and  meriting  an  eternal  recompense, 
they  would  pass  their  days  more  peaceably,  since  they 
would  find  in  these  villages  of  the  Guaranis  as  many 
defenders  as  there  were  Christians.  They  would, 
therefore,  have  nothing  to  fear  from  the  Mamelus  or 
the  Guaicurus,  who  now  kept  them  in  continual 
disquietude. 

The  caciques,  who  were  very  attentive  to  this  ad- 
dress of  the  Father,  seemed  touched.  They  promised 
that  they  would  cause  their  vassals  to  be  instructed 
with  regard  to  admission  to  baptism,  and  that  they 
would  use  all  their  influence  to  induce  the  Guatos  and 
Guacharapos  Indians  to  unite  with  them  in  forming 
together  a  large  settlement.  To  give  us  assurance  of 
the  sincerity  of  their  promises,  we  prayed  them  to 
present  to  us  some  young  Indians,  whom  they  had  made 
slaves,  that  we  might  instruct  them  in  the  truths  of 
the  faith,  and  enable  them  to  serve  us  as  interpreters. 
We  offered  them,  in  exchange,  some  pewter  plates, 
some  knives,  some  fish-hooks,  some  little  articles  of 
jet,  and  other  things  of  that  kind.  They  consented 
with  a  good  grace  ;  and  we  received  six  Indians  of 
different  tribes,  whom  we  sent  to  one  of  our  villages 
to  be  instructed. 

At  last,  after  renewed  protestations  of  friendship 
on  both  sides,  they  left  us,  well  satisfied  with  the  hope 


u   i 


w. 


356 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


ii»  i 


(-*"- 

?liil 


we  had  given  them,  that  we  would  send  some  of  our 
missionaries  to  their  homes.  In  parting,  they  directed 
some  of  their  vassals,  who  were  very  skilful  fisher- 
men, to  follow  us  in  their  canoes,  to  use  their  nets 
each  day  and  furnish  us  with  an  abundant  supply  of  fish. 
This  duty  they  punctually  discharged,  following  us 
for  one  hundred  and  fifty  leagues,  and  never  suffering 
us  to  want.  This  succor  came  in  a  very  timely  way  ; 
for  our  supply  of  biscuit  and  maize  was  spoiled,  and 
we  were  obliged  to  content  ourselves  with  a  single 
plate  of  beans  each  day. 

Having  reached  the  mouth  of  the  river,  where  the 
zealous  neophyte  Anicet  and  his  companions  had 
been  killed  by  the  Payaguas,  we  deputed  some  of  the 
same  tribe,  who  were  friendly  to  us,  to  go  to  these 
savages,  and  say  to  them  that  we  had  no  feelings 
for  them  but  those  of  peace  and  love ;  that  our 
earnest  desire  was  to  procure  their  happiness  in  this 
life  and  after  death  ;  that  they  might  try  the  experi- 
ment, if  they  wished  to  join  us  ;  that  we  were  persuaded, 
if  they  had  killed  our  Indians,  it  had  been  done  less 
through  hatred  to  them  than  through  fear  lest  they 
should  be  used  as  a  decoy  for  them  ;  that,  in  fine,  we 
pardoned  what  had  passed,  and  only  asked,  as  a  full 
satisfaction,  that  they  would  surrender  to  us  the 
Spaniards  whom  they  held  in  slavery. 

Our  messengers  acquitted  themsel"  js  so  well  to 
these  savages,  that  some  of  them  came  to  us  to  ask 
pardon  for  the  murder  they  had  committed,  and  sent 
back  to  us  a  Spaniard  whom  they  had  held  as  a  slave. 
They  even  assured  us  of  their  desire  to  unite  in  our 


THE  PARAGUAY  MISSION. 


357 


to 
isk 
2nt 
ive. 

)ur 


settlement,  and  to  embrace  the  Christian  faith.  But 
at  the  very  time  they  were  giving  us  these  assurances 
they  were  only  endeavoring  to  deceive  us  ;  for  they 
protested  to  us  that  they  had  only  this  single  Spaniard 
in  slavery,  while  we  afterwards  discovered  that  they 
had  three  others.  Our  friendship  having  been  renewed, 
some  twenty  of  their  canoes  approached  us  in  single 
file.  One  after  another  they  mounted  into  our  barque 
to  receive  the  little  presents  we  had  for  them.  A  little 
while  afterwards  their  caciques  came  to  bring  us  fruits, 
and  to  present  us  with  a  fine  canoe. 

Notwithstanding  this,  we  did  not  feel  that  we  could 
trust  ourselves  to  this  people,  whose  perfidy  and  in- 
constancy we  had  so  often  proved,  and  who  never 
kept  their  faith  except  when  it  was  for  their  own 
interests.  It  is  a  surprising  fact  that  this  nation, 
which  scarcely  counts  four  hundred  men  capable  of 
bearing  arms,  has  spread  itself  beyond  the  river 
Paraguay.  One  party  overran  more  than  two  hun- 
dred leagues  on  the  river,  or  in  the  country  beyond 
the  lake  of  the  Xarayes.  The  other  party  roams 
without  cessation  towards  the  city  c^  the  Assump- 
tion, pillaging  all  who  fall  into  their  hands,  making 
slaves  of  those  whom  they  encounter,  if  they  are  not 
entirely  on  their  guard  against  their  ambushes  ;  or 
they  league  themselves  with  the  Guaicurus,  to  attack 
the  Spaniards  with  open  force. 

The  wandering,  vagabond  life  they  lead  is  not  as 
great  an  obstacle  to  their  conversion  as  their  perfidi- 
ous and  fickle  character.  They  never  remain  long  in 
the  same  place ;  to-day  on  the  main  land,  and  to-morrow 


358 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


mm. 


4i. 


on  some  island  ;  or  they  scatter  themselves  on  the 
rivers.  They  could  scarcely  live  in  any  other  way,  as 
they  only  subsist  by  the  chase  or  by  fishing,  in  which 
they  cannot  always  engage  in  the  same  locality. 

We  quietly  pursued  our  route,  but  on  the  2d  of 
September  we  had  a  narrow  escape  from  death.  A 
furious  gale  arose,  which  drove  our  barque  on  with  vio- 
lence, and  caused  it  to  strike  on  a  succession  of  rocks. 
We  supposed  it  would  have  been  shattered  into  a 
thousand  pieces,  and  there  were  a  thousand  chances 
of  our  perishing.  Nevertheless,  we  escaped  all  in- 
jury. We  thought  we  were  indebted  for  our  preser- 
vation to  the  special  protection  of  the  Holy  Virgin., 
whom  we  invoked  many  times  during  that  day. 

After  having  escaped  this  danger  and  returned 
thanks  to  God  and  the  Holy  Virgin,  our  protectress, 
the  Father  Superior  arranged  that  one  of  the  boats 
should  go  ahead,  with  directions  that  it  should  raise 
all  its  sails  and  use  all  its  power  of  oars,  to  make  as 
much  speed  as  possible,  for  the  purpose  of  transport- 
ing to  the  city  of  the  Assumption  Father  de  Neuman, 
who  was  ill  of  a  dysentery  which  had  reduced  him  to 
an  extremity. 

For  ourselves,  it  was  not  till  the  17th  that  we 
arrived  there.  The  governor  of  the  city,  all  the  nobil- 
ity, and  the  people  in  crowds,  came  out  to  receive  us 
as  we  landed  from  our  boats,  and  insisted  on  conduct- 
ing us  to  the  College.  It  was  only  an  hour  after  we 
reached  there  that  Father  de  Neuman  finished  his 
course,  and  went  to  receive  the  recompense  for  his 
labors.     The  Canons  of  the  Cathedral,  the  Ecclesi- 


THE  PARAGUAY  MISSION. 


359 


re 
is 

r 
1^ 


astics,  the  Religious  Orders,  and  all  the  Incorporations 
of  the  city,  honored  the  funeral  rites  with  their  pres- 
ence, regarding  him  as  a  martyr. to  his  love  and  zeal, 
which  had  always  burned  for  the  conversion  of  the 
heathen. 

On  the  9th  we  left  the  city  of  the  Assumption,  to 
return  to  our  dear  Missions  among  the  Guaranis, 
where  we  arrived  February  4th.  Thus  ended  our 
voyage,  which  had  lasted  for  nine  months,  and  in 
which  we  had  lost  sixteen  of  the  neophytes  who 
accompanied  us,  who  were  carried  off  by  the  dysentery, 
and  by  the  difficulty  of  procuring  suitable  provis'ons. 

They  have  made  other  attempts  to  discover  this 
road  ;  but  they  have  had  no  other  results  than  to  pro- 
cure for  Fathers  de  Arce  and  Blende  a  glorious  death. 
I  am  with  respect,  &c. 


36o 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


XIV. 


!l   . 


w 

i 


THE   EARTHQUAKE   AT   LIMA   IN    1746. 

[Prohably  the  earthquake  at  Lima,  in  the  total  ruin  it  pro- 
duced, was  one  of  the  most  severe  ever  experienced  in  a  civi- 
lized land.  It  is  well,  then,  to  put  on  record  this  account, 
which  Father  Lozano  received  from  the  eye-witnesses  and  suf- 
ferers, and  which  becomes  of  interest  in  this  day,  when  we  so 
often  hear  the  tidings  of  "earthquakes  in  divers  places." 

Incidentally,  we  learn  from  this  narrative  how  strong  the 
Church  of  Rome  must  have  been  in  that  city  ;  where,  with  a 
population  of  only  sixty  thousand  people,  there  were  sixty-four 
churches,  most  of  them  remarkable  for  the  treasures  in  gold 
and  silver  which  they  contained. 

By  referring  to  the  description  of  Lima  in  a  previous  article  in 
this  volume,  written  in  1746,  it  will  be  seen  that  the  same  catas- 
trophe had  happened  in  1682.  As  in  this  case,  the  sea  over- 
flowed and  ingulfed  the  unfortunate  city,  so  that  for  greater 
security  it  was  rebuilt  a  quarter  of  a  league  inland.] 

Letter  0/  Father  Pierre  Lozano,  of  the  Society  of 
yesiis,   of  the  Province    of  Paraguay,   to  Father 

.  Bruno  Morales^  of  the  same  Society,  at  the  Court 
of  Madrid. 


«i-f 


At  CoRDOUE  DE  TUCUMAN,  the  \st  of  March,  1747. 

We  have  received  from  Lima  and  from  Callao  news 
of  the  saddest  character. 

On  the  28th  of  October,  1746,  at  half -past  ten  in  the 


!^i-:;Siia 


THE  EARTHQUAKE  AT  LIMA. 


361 


of 
ither 

'^ourt 


747- 

Inews 


In 


the 


evening,  an  earthquake  was  experienced  at  Lima,  with 
so  much  violence  that,  in  less  than  three  minutes,  the 
whole  city  has  been  overturned  from  top  to  bottom. 
This  disaster  was  so  sudden  that  no  one  had  time  to 
place  himself  in  safety,  and  the  ruin  was  so  wide- 
spread that  no  one  could  shun  the  danger  by  flight. 
Only  twenty-five  houses  remain  standing  ;  neverthe- 
less, by  a  special  protection  of  Providence,  out  of 
sixty  thousand  inhabitants  of  this  city,  only  the 
twelfth  part  perished,  while  those  who  have  escaped 
arc  unable  to  tell  to  what  they  can  ascribe  their 
safety.     Thus  they  regard  it  as  a  kind  of  miracle. 

There  are  few  examples  in  history  of  an  occurrence 
so  lamentable,  and  it  is  difficult  for  the  most  vivid 
imagination  to  co"^.ceive  of  such  a  calamity.  Picture 
to  yourselves  all  the  churches  destroyed,  generally  all 
the  other  edifices  prostrated,  and  the  twenty-five 
remaining  houses  which  stood  the  shock  so  shattered 
that  it  will  be  necessary  to  take  them  entirely  down. 
Of  the  two  towers  of  the  Cathedral,  one  has  been 
thrown  down  as  far  as  the  arch  of  the  nave;  the 
other,  at  the  place  where  the  bells  are  hung ;  and  all 
that  remains  is  exceedingly  damaged.  These  two 
towers  in  falling  have  crushed  the  arch  and  the 
chapels,  and  the  whole  church  has  been  so  over- 
turned that  it  cannot  be  reconstructed  without  first 
being  entirely  demolished. 

The  same  fate  has  befallen  five  magnificent  churches 
belonging  to  the  different  Religious  Orders.  The  great- 
est sufferers  have  been  those  of  the  Augustines  and  of 

the  Fathers  of  Mercy.     At  our  great  College  of  Saint 
16 


362 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


II 


^■ 


Paul,  the  two  towers  of  the  church  have  been  shat- 
tered from  top  to  bottom,  while  the  arch  of  the 
sacrist)  and  a  portion  of  the  Chapel  of  Saint  Ignatius 
have  fallen.  T.e  damage  has  been  almost  equal  in  all 
the  other  churches  of  the  city,  which  are  sixty-four  in 
number,  counting  the  public  chapels  and  the  hos- 
pitals. 

V/hat  augments  our  regrets  is  that  the  grandeur 
and  magnificence  of  the  greater  part  of  these  edifices 
could  be  favorably  compared  with  the  most  superb  of 
this  age.  Most  of  these  churches  contained  immense 
treasures,  either  in  pictures  or  in  vases  of  gold  and 
silver,  ornameni-ed  with  pearls  and  precious  stones, 
which  were  rendered  still  more  valuable  by  the  beauty 
of  the  workmanship. 

It  was  remarked  that,  in  the  ruins  of  the  Parish 
Church  of  Saint  Sebastien,  they  found  the  r.un  over- 
turned upon  the  ground,  outside  of  the  Tabernacle, 
which  remained  closed,  wiihout  the  Holy  Host  be- 
ing at  all  injured.  The  sam.e  thing  happened  in  the 
Church  of  the  Orphans,  —  the  sun  shattered,  the  crys- 
tals broken,  and  the  Host  entire. 

The  cloisters,  the  cells  of  the  Religious  Houses  of 
both  sexes,  are  entirely  ruined  and  uninhabitable.  At 
the  College  of  Saint  Paul,  of  whi?h  I  have  already 
spoker  'he  new  buildings,  and  those  which  were 
about  bemg  finished,  were  filled  with  cracks,  while 
the  old  main  buildings  are  in  a  much  worse  state. 
The  House  of  th-^  Novitiates,  their  church  and  their 
private  chapel,  are  entirely  levelled  with  the  ground. 
The  Professor's  House  is  also  uninhabitable.     One  of 


THE  EARTHQUAKE   AT  LIMA, 


363 


lile 
ite. 
leir 


m( 


of 


our  Fathers,  having  leaped  from  a  window,  in  the  fear 
of  being  crushed  under  the  ruins  of  the  church,  has 
broken  his  arm  in  three  places,  "he  larger  edifices 
in  their  fall  crushed  the  smaller  ones,  so  that  the 
materials  and  ruins  filled  almost  all  the  streets  of 
the  city. 

In  the  excessive  terror  which  had  seized  on  the 
inhabitants,  each  one  sought  safety  in  flight  ;  but 
some  were  at  once  buried  under  the  ruins  of  their 
houses,  while  others,  running  out  into  the  streets, 
were  crushed  by  the  falling  walls.  Some  by  the  suc- 
cessive shocks  were  carried  from  one  place  to  another, 
and  escaped  with  some  slight  bruises  ;  while  there  were 
some  who  actually  owed  their  safety  to  the  impossi- 
bility of  changing  their  places. 

A  magnificent  triumphal  arch  had  been  erected  on 
the  bridge  of  the  Marquis  de  Villagunera,  the  last 
viceroy  of  these  provinces,  and  on  its  height  had  been 
placed  an  equestrian  statue  of  Philip  V.  This  work,  so 
striking  from  the  majesty  and  the  richness  of  its  archi- 
tecture, has  been  entirely  overturned  and  reduced  to 
powder.  The  palace  of  the  Viceroy,  which  in  its  vast 
circumference  included  the  halls  of  the  chancery,  the 
tribunal  of  accounts,  the  royal  chamber,  and  all  the 
other  jurisdictions  attached  to  the  government,  has 
been  so  entirely  destroyed  that  nothing  remains  of  it. 
The  Tribunal  of  the  Inquisition,  its  magnificent  chapel, 
the  Royal  University,  and  all  the  other  edifices  of  any 
mark,  now  have  remaining  only  the  sad  vestiges  of 
what  they  once  had  been. 

It  is  a  sad  spectacle  and  one  which  touches  us  even 


f 


it  n 

If  ''i 

u'  !^ 

'f  i 


i;.   / 


364 


HISTORICAL   SCENES. 


to  tears,  to  see  in  the  midst  of  these  horrible  ruins,  all 
the  inhabitants  reduced  to  take  up  their  abode  on  the 
public  squares  or  in  the  gardens.  We  do  not  know 
but  what  they  will  be  obliged  to  rebuild  the  city  in 
some  other  place,  although  its  original  location  was, 
without  doubt,  the  most  convenient  for  comrnejce, 
extending  a  sufficient  distance,  inland,  and  yet  not 
being  too  far  removed  from  the  sea. 

One  thing  which  most  excites  our  compassion  is 
the  sad  situation  of  the  Religious  Orders,  who  suddenly 
find  themselves  without  any  asylum,  and  who,  having 
scarcely  any  thing  but  rents  derived  from  different 
houses  in  the  city,  have  in  an  instant  lost  the  little 
property  they  had  for  their  subsistence.  They  have 
no  other  resource  but  the  sympathy  of  their  relatives 
or  the  charity  of  the  faithful.  The  ecclesiastical  au- 
thority has  given  them  permission  to  avail  themselves 
of  it,  and  has  granted  them  all  the  dispensations 
necessary  for  this  purpose.  The  Recollettes  alone 
have  been  willing  to  remain  in  their  ruined  monastery, 
trusting  themselves  to  divine  Providence. 

At  the  House  of  the  Carmelites  of  Saint  Ther^se, 
of  twenty-one  members  of  the  Order,  twelve  were 
crushed,  together  with  the  prior,  two  lay  brothers,  and 
four  servants.  At  the  Conception,  two  members  of 
the  Order  were  killed  ;  but  only  one  at  the  grand 
Convent  of  the  Carmelites,  At  the  House  of  the 
Dominicans  and  \.ne  Augustines,  thirteen  of  the  Order 
were  killed ;  two  at  the  House  of  the  Franciscans, 
and  two  at  that  of  Mercy.  It  is  surprising,  from  the 
large  number  of  members  in  all  these  communities, 
that  the  number  of  deaths  was  not  greater. 


lis 


THE  EARTHQUAKE  AT  LIMA. 


365 


er 

IS, 


At  our  novitiate  we  have  had  many  slaves  and  ser- 
vants crushed  ;  but  none  of  the  Fathers  at  the  differ- 
ent Houses  have  lost  their  lives.  It  appears  that  the 
Benedictines,  the  Minims,  the  Fathers  Agonisans,  and 
the  Brothers  of  Saint  John  de  Dieu,  have  been  equally 
blessed.  At  the  Hospital  of  Saint  Anne,  founded  by 
the  first  Archbishop  of  Lima  for  the  benefit  of  the 
Indians  of  both  sexes,  seventy  of  the  patients  were 
crushed  in  their  beds  by  the  fall  of  the  beams.  The 
total  number  of  deaths  amounts  to  nearly  five  thou- 
sand. This  is  certified  by  the  account,  which  seems 
to  be  the  most  reliable  of  any  that  we  have  received, 
because  it  has  an  evident  air  of  truthfulness,  and  in 
other  respects,  in  its  different  details,  it  is  more  per- 
fectly in  accordance  with  all  that  has  been  written 
with  regard  to  this  country. 

Among  the  dead  there  are  scarcely  any  persons  of 
rank.  We  must,  however,  mention  Don  Martin  de 
Olivade,  his  wife  and  daughter,  who,  having  aban- 
doned their  house,  v/erc  caught  in  the  street  under  an 
extensive  wall  at  the  moment  that  it  fell.  Don  Mar- 
tin managed  to  disentangle  himself  from  the  ruins  ; 
but  when  he  learned  that  his  wife,  whom  he  tenderly 
loved,  was  crushed,  he  died  of  grief.  A  singular  cir- 
cumstance, and  which  seems  to  add  to  the  sadness  of 
this  occurrence,  is  that  this  gentleman  would  not  have 
perished  if  he  had  not  sought  to  place  himself  in  a 
situation  of  safety,  and  he  would  not  have  suffered 
any  evil  if  he  had  remained  at  home,  —  his  home 
being  one  of  the  few  which  were  not  overthrown. 

It  was  impossible  to  inter   all   the   dead  in   con- 


366 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


Mii 


!  f: 


i  I' 


secrated  ground.  They  did  not  dare  to  go  near  the 
churches,  from  the  fear  caused  by  the  fresh  shocks 
which  succeeded  each  other.  They  thereibre  at  first 
dug  trenches  in  the  public  places  and  in  the  streets. 
But  promptly,  to  remedy  this  irregularity,  the  Viceroy 
has  convoked  the  Brotherhood  of  Charity,  which,  aid- 
ing the  governors  of  the  police,  undertook  to  carry  the 
dead  bodies  to  all  the  secular  and  regular  churches, 
and  discharged  this  perilous  duty  with  such  extreme 
diligence  as,  in  a  great  measure,  to  free  the  city  from 
the  infection  with  which  it  was  threatened.  This 
work  cost  many  their  lives,  on  account  of  the  stench  of 
the  dead  bodies  ;  and  it  was  feared,  with  reason,  that  all 
this  would  be  followed  by  severe  sicknesses,  and  per- 
haps by  a  general  pestilence,  because  more  than  three 
thousand  horses  or  mules  had  been  crushed  and  died, 
whom  it  was  impossible  at  onre  to  dig  out.  Add  to 
this  the  fatigue,  the  hardships,  the  hunger  which  must 
be  suffered  during  the  first  days,  every  thing  being  in 
confusion,  there  being  no  mill  nor  any  storehouse  of 
provisions  which  had  been  preserved. 

But  where  this  evil  was  incomparably  more  severe 
was  at  the  port  of  Callao.  The  earthquake  was  felt 
there  with  the  greatest  violence  at  the  same  hour  that 
it  was  at  Lima.  At  first,  there  were  only  some 
towers  and  a  portion  of  the  ramparts  which  resisted 
the  shock.  But  half  an  hour  afterwards,  when  the 
inha])itants  began  to  breathe  again  and  to  look  around 
them,  suddenly  the  sea  rose,  lifted  itself  to  a  prodigious 
height,  and  fell  with  a  horrible  noise  upon  the  land, 
ingulfing  all   the  large    ships   which   were   in   port, 


THE   EARTHQUAKE   AT  LIMA. 


1^7 


sweeping  the  small  ones  above  the  walls  and  the 
towers,  even  to  the  other  end  of  the  city,  overturning 
all  the  houses  and  churches,  and  drowning  all  the 
inhabitants.  The  result  is  that  Callao  is  now  only  a 
confused  mass  of  gravel  and  sand,  so  that  one  can 
scarcely  distinguish  the  place  where  the  city  was 
situated.  Only  two  large  gates,  and  some  portions 
of  the  wall  of  the  ramparts,  are  now  remaining. 

They  counted  at  Callao  six  houses  of  the  Religious 
Orders,  —  one  of  the  Dominicans,  one  of  the  Francis- 
cans, one  of  the  Order  of  Mercy,  one  of  the  Augiis- 
tines,  one  of  the  Jesuits,  and  one  of  Saint  John  de 
Dieu.  There  were  at  that  time,  at  the  House  of  the 
Dominicans,  six  of  the  ^  nbers  of  their  Order  from 
Lima,  a^l  persons  of  distinguished  merit,  who  were 
occupied  in  the  Services  of  the  Octave,  established 
some  years  since  to  make  particular  confession  to  the 
Lord.  The  Franciscans  had  also  at  their  House  a 
large  number  of  their  brethren  from  Lima,  who  had 
come  to  receive  the  Commissnry-General  of  their 
Order,  who  was  expected  to  land  the  next  day.  All 
these  members  of  the  Orders  perished  miserably  ; 
and,  of  all  Uio.se  who  were  in  the  ci.y,  the  only  one 
saved  was  Father  Arizpo,  an  Augustine  friar. 

The  number  of  deaths,  according  to  ihe  most  au- 
thentic accounts,  was  about  seven  tliousand,  a=;  many 
citizens  as  strangers  ;  and  there  wf;re  only  about  a 
hundred  persons  who  escaped.  I  have,  indeed,  re- 
ceived one  letter,  in  which  it  is  stated  that,  by  the 
exact  researches  which  Don  Joseph  Marso  y  Vclasco, 
Viceroy  of  Peru,  caused  to  be  made,  they  judged  that 


368 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


■J    ' 

A  i 


1 


the  number  of  deaths,  including  both  Lima  and  Cal- 
lao,  exceeded  eleven  thousand. 

It  was  stated,  by  some  of  those  who  were  saved, 
that  many  inhabitants  of  this  last  city,  having  seized 
on  planks,  floated  for  a  long  time  on  the  water ;  but 
the  shock  and  the  force  of  the  waves  cast  the  greater 
part  of  them  bruised  against  the  rocks.  They  related 
also  that  those  who  were  in  the  city,  seeing  them- 
selves suddenly  surrounded  by  the  waters  of  the  sea, 
were  overcome  by  such  a  panic  that  they  were  unable 
to  find  the  keys  of  the  gates  which  gave  them  exit  on 
the  side  of  the  land.  After  all,  even  if  they  had  been 
able  to  open  these  gates,  what  would  have  been  the 
result  of  this  precaution,  except  to  cause  them  to 
perish  the  sooner,  by  giving  entrance  to  the  waters, 
and  allowing  them  to  penetrate  to  every  part .''  Some 
of  those  who  were  swept  above  the  walls  succeeded 
in  reaching  some  vessel.  Among  these.  Father 
Yguanco,  of  our  Society,  managed  to  gain  a  vessel 
called  the  "Assembro,"  the  boatswain  of  which, 
touched  with  compassion,  made  every  effort  to  save 
him.  But  towards  four  o'clock  in  the  morning,  a  new 
overflow  of  the  sea  succeeding,  and  the  anchors  hav- 
ing been  broken,  the  ship  was  cast  with  violence  into 
the  midst  of  Callao,  and  the  Jesuit  there  perished. 

During  the  intervals,  when  the  waters  were  ebbing, 
they  heard  the  lameijtable  cries,  and  often  the  voices, 
of  the  Ecclesiastics  and  members  of  the  Religious  Or- 
ders, earnestly  exhorting  their  brethren  to  commend 
themselves  to  God.  Too  much  praise  cannot  be  given 
to  the  heroic  zeal  of  Father  Alphonse  de  Lopios,  Ex- 


THE  EARTHQUAKE   AT  LIMA. 


369 


Provincial  of  the  Dominicans,  who,  in  the  midst  of 
this  frightful  disorder,  seeing  an  opportunity  to  save 
himself,  refused  to  avail  himself  of  it,  saying,  "  What 
more  favorable  opportunity  to  reach  heaven  can  I  find 
than  by  dying  to  aid  these  poor  people,  and  for  the 
salvation  of  so  many  souls  ? "  He  has  been  included 
in  this  wide-spread  wreck,  while  discharging  the  du'ties 
of  his  ministry  with  a  charity  so  pure  and  disinter- 
ested. 

As  the  waters  extended  more  than  a  league  beyond 
Callao,  most  of  those  who  had  taken  to  flight  in  the 
direction  of  Lima  were  swallowed  up  in  the  middle 
of  the  way  by  the  waves  which  surrounded  them. 
There  were  at  that  time  in  the  port  twenty-three  ves- 
sels, great  and  small,  nineteen  of  which  went  to  the 
bottom,  and  the  four  others  were  stranded  high  up  on 
the  land.  The  Viceroy  having  despatched  a  frigate 
to  ascertain  the  condition  of  these  vessels,  they  were 
only  able  to  save  the  cargo  of  the  ship  "  Elsocorro," 
which  consisted  of  wheat  and  tallow,  and  which  has 
been  a  great  relief  to  the  city  of  Lima.  They  also 
attempted  to  relieve  the  ship-of-war  "  Saint  Firmin," 
but  found  it  impossible.  In  fine,  to  enable  you  to 
comprehend  to  how  great  an  extent  the  violence  of 
the  sea  has  been  carried,  it  is  sufficient  to  say  that  it 
transported  the  Church  of  the  Augustines,  almost 
entire,  to  an  island  some  distance  off,  where  it  can 
since  be  seen. 

There  is  another  island,  which  they  call  the  Island 

of  Callao,  where  the  convicts  are  employed  in  cutting 

out  stone  used  for  building.     It  was  in  this  island 
16*  X 


370 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


'I  \ 


that  the  small  number  of  those  who  escaped  the  wreck 
found  themselves  after  the  subsiding  of  the  waters ; 
and  the  Viceroy  immediately  sent  boats  to  bring  them 
over  again  to  the  mainland. 

The  loss  sustained  at  Callao  is  immense,  because 
the  great  store-houses  which  supplied  the  city  of 
Lima  with  all  kinds  of  necessaries,  and  which  are  the 
principal  depots  of  its  commerce,  happened  then  to 
be  unusually  crowded  with  grain,  tallow,  brandy,  cor- 
dage, wood,  iron,  beans,  and  all  kinds  of  merchandise. 
Add  to  these  the  furniture  and  ornaments  of  the 
churches,  which  all  shone  with  gold  and  silver ;  the 
arsenals  and  royal  magazines,  which  were  full,  —  all 
these,  without  counting  the  value  of  the  houses  and 
ruined  edifices,  amount  to  an  enormous  sum ;  and,  if 
to  this  one  adds  what  was  lost  at  Lima,  it  would  ap- 
pear incredible  to  a  person  who  was  not  acquainted 
with  the  degree  of  opulence  in  this  kingdom.  Cal- 
culations have  been  made,  that  to  restore  matters  to 
their  former  condition  would  cost  more  than  six  hun- 
dred millions. 

During  that  frightful  night  which  annihilated  Cal- 
lao, the  citizens  of  Lima  were  in  continual  alarms  on 
account  of  the  repeated  movements  which  made  the 
earth  to  tremble  about  them,  and  because  they  saw 
no  end  to  these  constantly  recurring  shocks.  All 
their  hopes  centred  on  the  city  of  Callao,  where  they 
flattered  themselves  they  would  find  an  asylum  and 
relief.  Their  grief,  then,  sank  to  utter  despair  when 
they  learned  that  Callao  no  longer  existed.  The  first 
who  brought  this  news  were  the  soldiers  who  had 


I 


Its 


\ 


THE  EARTHQUAKE  AT  LIMA, 


371 


been  sent  by  the  Viceroy  to  learn  what  had  taken 
place  on  the  coast.  Never  was  there  witnessed  a 
consternation  equal  to  that  which  then  spread  through 
Lima.  They  were  without  any  resource.  The  earth- 
quakes continued  daily  ;  and  it  was  estimated  that,  up 
to  the  29th  of  November,  more  than  sixty  shocks  had 
taken  place,  some  of  which  were  very  severe.  I  leave 
you  to  imagine,  then,  in  what  state  their  spirits  must 
have  been  in  such  strange  circumstances. 

The  day  after  this  sad  night,  the  preachers  and 
confessors  dispersed  themselves  through  all  quarters, 
to  console,  as  far  as  possible,  these  miserable  beings, 
and  to  exhort  them  to  profit  by  this  terrible  blow  by 
returning  to  God  in  penitence.  Above  all,  the  Vice- 
roy showed  himself,  and  employed  himself  without 
relaxation  in  consoling  the  unfortunate  citizens  under 
these  evils. 

We  may  say  that  it  was  a  blessing  of  Providence  to 
have  given  to  Lima,  in  its  affliction,  a  Viceroy  whose 
character  was  so  marked  by  zeal,  activity,  and  cour- 
age. He  exhibited  on  this  occasion  superior  talents, 
and  qualities  of  the  most  distinguished  kind.  This 
is  a  justice  which  is  unanimously  rendered  to  him. 
Without  him,  famine  would  have  finished  the  destruc- 
tion of  the  inhabitants  who  remained.  All  the  pro- 
visions which  were  collected  at  Callao  were  destroyed  ; 
all  the  ovens  were  demolished  at  Lima ;  and  all  the 
water-pipes  for  the  mills  were  choked  up. 

In  this  extreme  peril,  the  Viceroy  did  not  lose  his 
self-possession.  He  sent  to  all  the  bailiffs  of  the 
neighboring  provinces  orders  to  forward,  as  soon  as 


37^ 


HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


li 


r| 


I 


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m 


possible,  the  grain  which  they  found  there.  He 
assembled  all  the  bakers.  He  caused  the  work  to 
go  on,  day  and  night,  in  placing  the  ovens  and  the 
mills  in  a  proper  state.  He  adopted  means  to  repair 
the  canals,  aqueducts,  and  fountains,  that  there  should 
be  no  failure  in  the  water.  He  took  precautions  that 
the  butchers  should  furnish  meat  as  usual.  And  he 
charged  the  two  consuls  to  take  in  hand  the  execu- 
tion of  all  these  orders. 

In  the  midst  of  so  many  cares,  he  did  not  neglect 
what  regarded  the  service  of  the  king.  After  having 
caused  to  be  collected  from  under  the  ruins  all  the 
arms  which  could  be  secured,  he  sent  officers  to  Callao 
to  save,  as  far  as  possible,  the  royal  effects  ;  and  he 
placed  guards  at  the  bank,  to  secure  the  gold  and  sil- 
ver there  from  pillage. 

As  he  had  received  notice  that  the  shores  were 
covered  with  dead  bodies  which  remained  unburied, 
and  that  the  sea  was  each  moment  throwing  up  a 
prodigious  quantity  of  furniture,  and  vessels  of  gold 
and  silver,  he  immediately  gave  orders  to  have  the 
bodies  interred.  He  directed  that  the  officers  should 
retain  in  their  possession  whatever  effects  were  of  any 
value,  and  that  they  should  keep  an  exact  register  of 
them,  so  that  each  one  should  be  able  to  recognize 
what  belonged  to  him.  It  was  forbidden,  under  pen- 
alty of  death,  to  appropriate  any  thing  which  might 
be  on  the  shore  ;  and,  to  enforce  obedience  on  this 
rtant  point,  !ie  directed  two  gibbets  to  be  erected 
'ma,  and  two  at  Callao :  and  a  few  wholesome  ex- 
amples of  severity  caused  every  one  to  respect  these 
ordinances. 


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11 


THE   EARTHQUAKE    AT  LIMA. 


373 


After  the  loss  of  the  garrison  at  Callao,  the  Viceroy 
had  but  a  hundred  and  fifty  soldiers  of  the  regular 
army,  with  as  many  of  the  militia.  However,  he  did 
not  neglect  to  double  all  the  guards,  to  repress  the 
insolence  of  the  people,  and  particularly  of  the  negroes 
and  the  slaves.  He  organized  three  different  patrols, 
who  constantly  went  their  rounds  through  the  city,  to 
prevent  the  robberies,  quarrels,  and  assassinations 
which  we  had  reason  to  fear  during  such  a  state  of 
confusion.  One  other  care  he  took  was  to  prevent 
any  one  from  gbing  out  on  the  main  avenues  to  pur- 
chase the  wheat  which  was  being  brought  into  the 
city.  He  gave  orders  that  all  the  wheat  should  be 
first  carried  to  the  middle  of  the  Square,  under  pen- 
alty of  two  hundred  blows  of  the  whip  for  persons  of 
low  extraction,  and  lour  years'  banishment  for  others. 
All  these  arrangements,  as  wisely  devised  as  they 
were  vigorously  executed,  resulted  in  the  maintenance 
of  good  order. 

Nevertheless,  on  the  last  day  of  November,  at  half 
past  four  in  the  evening,  while  they  were  making  the 
processicn  to  Our  Lady  of  Mercy,  suddenly  a  report 
spread  through  the  whole  city  that  the  sea  was  return- 
ing again,  having  broken  its  bounds,  and  had  now 
almost  reached  Lima.  At  once,  behold  all  the  people 
on  the  move !  Suddenly  they  rushed  forward.  Even 
the  Religious  Orders  were  not  excepted,  who,  in  the 
fear  of  the  next  overflow,  had  not  gone  forth  from 
their  cells :  now,  flying  with  the  people,  each  one 
thought  of  nothing  but  saving  his  life.  The  crowd 
of  fugitives  increased   the  panic.     Some  rushed   to- 


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HISTORICAL  SCENES. 


wards  Mount  Saint  Christophe,  and  others  towards 
Mount  Saint  Barthelemi,  believing  that  no  place  was 
safe.  But  in  this  general  movement,  only  one  person 
lost  his  life.  This  was  Don  Pedro  Sandro,  the  Grand 
Treasurer,  who,  in  attempting  to  escape,  was  thrown 
from  his  horse  and  killed. 

The  Viceroy,  who  had  not  received  any  buch  news 
from  the  coast,  comprehended  at  once  that  this  was 
nothing  but  a  panic.  He  purposely,  therefore,  re- 
mained in  the  middle  of  the  public  square,  where  he 
had  established  his  residence,  endea'Voring  thus  to 
show  every  one  that  they  had  nothing  to  fear.  As 
they  still  continued  their  flight,  he  sent  the  soldiers 
to  stop  the  people,  but  it  was  impossible  to  arrest 
them.  At  last  he  went  himself,  and  spoke  to  them 
with  so  much  authority  and  confidence  that  they 
obeyed  at  once,  and  each  one  returned. 

Some  monasteries  of  the  Religious  Orders,  which 
had  incomes  from  the  royal  treasury,  have  appealed 
to  him,  representing  to  him  the  sad  state  to  which 
they  were  reduced.  They  have  prayed  him  to  direct 
the  Governor  of  the  Police  to  interfere  in  their  de- 
fence, that  they  may  be  secured  from  all  insult.  This 
demand,  with  many  others  of  a  similar  nature,  has 
induced  the  Viceroy  to  give  orders  that  there  shall  be 
issued  a  general  decree  for  the  most  pressing  repara- 
tions which  can  be  made  to  place  the  inhabitants  in 
security.  It  has  even  been  his  desire  that  plans  shall 
be  prepared  for  the  rebuilding  of  the  city  ;  and  he 
proposes,  besides,  that  the  houses  shall  be  constructed 
of  sufficient   solidity  to  resist  similar  earthquakes. 


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T/f£  EARTHQUAKE  AT  LIMA.  375 

This  wor:  has  been  committed  to  the  charge  of  M 
Godin,  of  the  Academy  of  Sciences  of  Paris,  who  was 
sent  out  by  the  King  of  France  to  make  observations 
on  the  figure  of  the  earth,  and  who,  for  some  time 
past,  by  order  of  the  Viceroy,  has  occupied  the  place 
of  Professor  of  Mathematics  at  Lima,  until  he  finds 
an  opportunity  of  returning  to  France. 

What  most  embarrasses  the  Viceroy,  particularly 
smce  we  are  actually  in  a  state  of  war,  is  the  Fort  of 
Callao,  which  is  the  key  to  this  kingdom.  For  this 
reason,  after  having  entirely  restored  order  in  Lima 
he  departed  with  M.  Godin  to  Callao,  to  choose  a 
situat.onfor  the  erection  of  fortifications  capable  of 
arrestxng  an  enemy,  and  to  establish  sufficient  maga- 
zmes,  30  that  commerce  shall  not  be  interrupted. 

As  for  the  rest,  the  earthquake  has  made  equally 
great  ravages  in  the  neighborhood,  —  on  the  one  side 
towards  Cannete,  and,  on  the  other,  as  far  as  Chau- 
cay  and  Guaura.  In  this  last  place,  the  bridge,  al- 
though very  solid,  has  been  destroyed;  but,  as  it  is  a 
mam  avenue  for  travel,  the  Viceroy  has  given  orders 
that  It  shall  at  once  be  rebuilt.  We  scarcely  know 
yet  what  has  occurred  in  the  places  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  Lima  and  Callao.  The  relations  they  will 
send  us  will,  without  doubt,  contain  the  particulars 


Cambridge:  Press  of  John  Wilson  &  Son. 


Woihs  ba  i\t  Samt  %A°^' 


HAKLT 


JESUIT  MISSI0H8  U  SOKTE  AMEMOA. 

Third  Edition. 

TEE    LENTEU    PAST. 
Eleventh  Edition. 


^%' 


THE  DOUBIX  WnitESS  OF  TEE  OHTOOH. 

Twentieth  Edition. 

OHBISTMAS  HOLYDAYS  IN  EOME. 

Third  Edition. 


II 


THE  OATAOOMBS  01  EOME 

Fifth  Edition. 

EAELY  OOmlOTS  OE  OHMSTIABOT. 

Third  Edition. 

THE  TIMOTOED  THIHG8  OF  80IIIPTIIB& 

Third  Edition. 

HEW  TOEK  H  THE  OLDEK  TIM£ 


1 


